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8 THE FAST AND THE FURY BY STEVEN SANDOR 12 ENZO CONCINA: A MAN OF DISTINCTION BY MIKE TOTH 14 LA PASIÒN BY RICHARD BUCCIARELLI 16 QATAR WORLD CUP: AN EVER GROWING HORROR PICTURE BY BOB KOEP 18 MLS PLAYOFF HUNT CONTENDERS: WHO WILL WIN THE MLS CUP? BY ARMEN BEDAKIAN 21 TRIP OF A LIFETIME BY DAVE KENNY 22 TO BERMUDA AND BACK: A CANADIAN PERSPECTIVE BY DAVID BOCCIA 24 PHIL WOOSNAM: A SOCCER PIONEER BY MIKE TOTH 28 EDDIE’S FALL CAMPAIGN: NOT THE BEST OF TIMES BY STEVEN SANDOR 30 CAN-SO-REF 32 BEHIND THE WHISTLE: FRUSTRATION BY MIKE KENNY
34 WHATEVER HAPPENED TO COMMON SENSE? BY DAVE KENNY 36 LIKA SPORTS: A CANADIAN COMPANY ON THE RISE! BY ARMEN BEDAKIAN 38 THE FUTURE OF THE GAME IN ATLANTIC CANADA BY LAOGHAN HENDRA 40 TFC DEFENDERS TALK BENEFITS OF FUTSAL BY ARMEN BEDAKIAN 42 OZ TOO STRONG FOR FLORO’S FIDDLERS BY MARTIN BRONSTEIN – COVERSHOTS INC. 44 CANADIAN FUTSAL FLIES FORWARD BY KRIS FERNANDES 46 MONTEUIL SPARTA NAMED 2013 BMO TEAM OF THE WEEK CHAMPIONS BY ARMEN BEDAKIAN 48 HOW TO MAKE SOCCER EVEN BETTER? OPDL DECISIONS MISS THE MARK BY DAVE KENNY 49 HOW TO MAKE SOCCER EVEN BETTER? IT’S TIME TO GET REAL BY BILL CONDY
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THE
FAST FURY AND
THE
By Steven Sandor
Photograph’s Courtesy of Graeme Ivory/Ottawa Fury FC
The red-and-black clad members of the Ottawa Fury FC won’t kick off their first-ever NASL campaign until the spring of 2014, but head coach Marc dos Santos and club president John Pugh have been hard at work to make sure that when the team makes its on-field debut, the product is competitive and the supporters are engaged. Dos Santos is the Canadian who coached the Montreal Impact to a United Soccer Leagues (USL) First Division title in 2009 — when the USL was still recognized as a North American division-2 league — but resigned in 2011, after the Impact had moved to the North American Soccer League (NASL) and was still a season away from moving to Major League Soccer (MLS). In May, after Under John Pugh’s leadership, the Fury Youth Development Academy has schooled thousands of youngsters on the nuances of the game. Over 80 Fury players have received NCAA scholarships and over 125 players have gone on to play at Canadian colleges and universities.
8 October/November 2013
Photograph courtesy of FC Edmonton
spending a couple of years coaching in Brazil, he decided to return to Canada, to take on Pugh’s challenge of building the Fury from the ground up. The Fury will be one of three expansion franchises to join NASL in 2014. The Indy Eleven and Virginia Cavalry will also be coming into the league. “I think anyone who knows me, knows what’s in my heart,” says dos Santos. “I’m a winner. I want this team to win games right from the start. “Things are very different from the Impact. When I coached there, the team’s goal was already to go to MLS, so things were done in a different way,” he continues. “I am excited to be in Ottawa.
Where I am from is very close to here. The organization here (the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, which also owns the expansion franchise that will enter the Canadian Football League in 2014) wants to bring sports to Ottawa in a different way. This is definitely a different challenge for me. In previous jobs, like the Montreal Impact, the club was already established and all I had to do was come in and coach. This is a very different situation, I am learning every day. I am coming in and building the club from the start.”
ACADEMY
Dos Santos brought in his brother Phillip to become the technical director of the club. The Fury has a proud history as an elite developmental organization. It already brings in children as young as four years of age into its First Touch program. Its W-League team took the league title in 2012, and the Fury is recognized as Canada’s best women’s soccer program. The Fury’s PDL (Premier Development League - the pro development league of the United Soccer Leagues in Canada, the United States and Bermuda) team got to the Eastern Conference final in 2013, and former Impact prospect Carl Haworth scored at a goal-per-game pace. But work needs to be done, and Phillip, who coached Canada’s U-21 team at the 2013 Francophone Games, will work his brother in building a unified philosophy through the organization. The kids who play in the Fury’s system will know how the big team plays. “The professional team is built on top of what we have built up in the last decade,” says Pugh, a member of the USL’s Hall of Fame. “It has to be more than a pretty drawing on a piece of paper. It has to be realistic. We need to produce more players like Eddie Edward, who is now playing (right back) with FC Edmonton. He came up through our system, got a scholarship and spent a year or two with FC Dallas, then Puerto Rico, before going to Edmonton.”
And one of the changes Fury prospects and their families might see is a lowering or elimination of fees. “Right now, the academy charges players and, down the road, we have to make sure the academy gives the best opportunities for the best players,” says dos Santos. “So, the policy of charging may be something we look at in the future.”
FUTURE OF PDL TEAM
As the preparations for the team’s NASL debut continue, the PDL team’s future remains uncertain and Pugh admits that it’s not a certainty the Fury will return to PDL. It’s not a case of petty rivalries. Second-division conspiracy theorists, of which there are many, will argue that the Fury wouldn’t want to
have a program in the USL-administered PDL that has the goal of feeding a team to the rival NASL. No, the problem is that PDL is aimed at U-23 players, and isn’t professional. Players can attend NCAA programs and come back to play PDL. But the Fury needs a reserve program for its pro players who aren’t getting starter minutes, and a program that also helps the kids develop. “We need a place for our players who aren’t getting playing time in NASL, and we’re establishing what’s the best vehicle for doing that,” says Pugh “The players in NASL are professional players, and the PDL isn’t necessarily the place for them to be. What we can say is that we are still looking at our options.” But, even if the PDL program is killed, it will likely leave a legacy with the inaugural NASL squad. Dos Santos confirms that five of the players from the Fury’s 2013 PDL team will join the Fury’s NASL training camp in the winter of 2014. Haworth will be among them. “When we are building the Ottawa Fury of the future we have to look at what was done in the past,” he says. “The Ottawa Fury always had a very competitive team in the PDL.”
SCOUTING
Dos Santos will head to Europe and South America on pre-Christmas scouting trips. Each NASL team is allowed to bring in seven foreigners. That means the Fury can have up to seven players on the roster who aren’t Canadians or Americans, or permanent residents of either country. There is no salary cap in NASL, but teams live within their means, meaning that finding a player who makes more than US$100,000 a season is rare. Dos Santos said the challenge is in “maximizing resources.” As a manager, he has to make sure every dollar spent on Marc dos Santos has been given the challenge of building the Fury from the ground up. InsideSOCCER 9
salaries goes towards making the Fury better on the field. He has to ensure that every position has cover. It’s a balance of making the starting XI as good as it can be but, at the same time, ensuring there’s depth to make it through injury spells and also create healthy competition for places. “When I first came into the league there were players, for example, some making $800 (per month) and some making $10,000. And so you couldn’t spend a good amount on the bench,” he explains. “It’s different now than in the past. Before, in NASL, there wasn’t a lot of depth, but now if you have two or three starters missing you can still keep your team competitive. “I think that the league has changed a lot since I was with the Impact. It is much better now than it was,” he says. “The teams are all on more solid ground financially. You see San Antonio playing in a new stadium; Minnesota will be in a new facility (a new training ground). When I was with the Impact we would go on the road and a lot of the teams were using university fields to play in. They were renting fields from the universities. I think the level of play is about the same, but because the teams are more secure financially, there is more consistency in the level of play. And that means an improvement in the NASL. “Because you only are allowed to bring in seven foreigners, you have to be very careful about the kind of players you bring in. They have to be different kinds
The Fury has a proud history as an elite developmental organization. It already brings in children as young as four years of age into its First Touch program. budget is different from the others teams’ budgets in the league.”
STADIUM AND JERSEYS
of players. They have to be open to the challenges of playing in North America, with some games on grass, some on turf and that you have to travel a lot.” When it comes to foreigners in NASL, easily the most recognizable name belongs to Marcos Senna. The long-time Villarreal midfielder and Spanish national teamer made the move to the New York Cosmos in 2013, and he’s as close as you’ll find to a Designated Player in NASL. “I don’t use Marcos Senna as a selling point,” says dos Santos. “But when you talk to players about the NASL, they’ll go on the Internet and they’ll see that Marcos Senna plays in the league. They know him. But, the New York Cosmos’s
Fury FC President John Pugh, Canadian Soccer Assoication General Secretary Peter Montopoli, Eastern Ontario District Soccer Association Paul Dobson and Ontario Soccer Association President Ron Smale at Algonquin College Soccer Complex honouring John Pugh for more than a decade of service and commitment to the game of soccer. 10 October/November 2013
Pugh says that, even if the new Lansdowne Park football-soccer complex isn’t ready in the spring of 2014, the Fury will be. “We’re excited that we have the topping off ceremony (on Sept. 30) so that’s a very good sign. We will be playing in the spring season and, if we need to, we can start off by playing games elsewhere till the stadium is finished. We have a couple of options. But, as well, like FC Edmonton, we expect that in our schedule, we will start with our first few games on the road because of the climate. So, that allows us a bit more time.” Ottawa already withdrew as a host city for the 2014 U20 Women’s World Cup because of doubts on the stadium’s readiness for the tournament. The concrete is poured. The stands are going in. It will be ready for the CFL season, but that’s not till the end of June, 2014. It will be a race to see when it is ready to host NASL matches. When ready, the stadium will hold more than 22,000. Pugh says the team’s new red-andblack home kits will likely be unveiled in November. He wants to make sure the team has the Admiral jerseys to sell when the winning design is announced. Over the course of a week in the late summer, the Fury put three potential red-and-black home kit designs on its website. Fans were asked to vote on the ones they liked best. More than 1,500 fans voted and commented within the week. The Fury undertook a similar process with the team name and crest. In the end, the Fury name was kept, with an “FC” added for emphasis. “We want to involve our fans as much as possible,” says Pugh. “We want this to feel that this is the fans’ franchise as much as it is ours. And, really, getting the comments on the jerseys was even more valuable than the votes.”
Enzo
BY MIKE TOTH
Concina
A MAN OF DISTINCTION Photographs Courtesy of Enzo Concina
Enzo Concina was born in Italy on June 21, 1962 in Prato Carnico, a rural area to the north of Udine. When he was four years old, he moved to Canada with his family and grew up as a naturalized Canadian. The rest – as the ol’ saying goes – is soccer history. His lengthy soccer journey, which kicked off in the Mississauga minor league system in the early 1970s and later saw him play professionally in Italy, eventually landed Concina in Canada’s Soccer Hall of Fame in 2012 and in Mississauga’s Sports Hall of Fame this past June. He considers it “a tremendous honour” to be remembered, and recognized in such fashion both by his adopted country and his hometown. 12 October/November 2013
“It is truly prestigious to play for your country on an international level,” he says “My relationship with Canadian soccer has always been somewhat difficult, having played mostly in Italy with various clubs most of my career.” A huge smile lights up his face when Concina casts his mind back to the start, when he was just 10 years old, living with his family in the Lakeview area of Mississauga and kicking the ball around with his boyhood best buddy Tony Raposo
on seemingly endless sizzling summer days. “This memory is still livid in my mind, certainly more than what came after. “We thought we were pretty good, kicking the ball with our dress shoes on. We felt we were among the best.” Good as it seemed to him way back then, the best was yet to come. Enzo played all his minor soccer in Mississauga with a team sponsored by Ruscher Realty and coached by Aldo Lista. Those with long memories would recall that Ruscher Realty, alongside with Malton Bullets, rank as the best two youth soccer teams in Mississauga’s sport history. They were Peel-Halton Soccer League champions and minor bantam age division champions. Coach Lista managed to assemble a highly talented squad, of which Concina was clearly the star player. “He was a great coach, able to get the best out of us,” recalls Concina. “We had some very hard training sessions. We had cramps and we were sore, but we knew it was all for our own good. “It felt like we were a professional team, all those games, all those incredible years.” They had won several Peel-Halton League championship titles and were minor bantam age division silver medallists at the 1978 Ontario Cup. But what he remembers most is coach Lista taking his team to Florida for a winter youth tournament when Enzo was 13 years old. “There was snow on the ground at home when we left,” he says. “A few hours later, we were in Florida, ready to play in a tournament. A team from Ontario; we were way ahead of our time.” Concina’s profession- al career took him to Italy where he played club soccer for Serie B sides Ravenna, Cesena, Pavia, Piacenza, Monza, Nola and Forli. “I couldn’t believe it; soon after Italy won the World Cup (1982), I was there, playing in Italy,” he says. “What a difference it was playing in such a professional environ-ment,” he says. “A lot of the best players in the world were playing in Italy at the time. Just to be there was an incredible experience for me, learning and progressing both technically and tactically. “I thought I was a good player, but soon realized I had a lot to learn.” In 1988, while playing for Piacenza, he was sidelined for a while when he tore his cruciate.
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Register Now! 1 866 898.8141 www.brystinternational.com He says he was close to moving up to London, won by the English club) – another powerhouse Juventus. Serie A several times, but injuries slowed first that made him the sole Canadian He had no need to look for a new job ever to coach in that level of competition though – he was immediately snared by an him down. He also had a season in Canada, considered second only to the European even bigger Italian giant Inter Milan, and helping the Montreal Impact win the Champions League. is now roaming the soccer world far and American Professional Soccer wide as the club’s talent scout. League championship. “I’m sure I will miss being on the “It was a short season but bench.” he says. “I’m satisfied with a difficult one for me, I went what I have achieved, but I’m sure I through a lot of pain,” he recalls. will miss being on the bench.” “But it was complete circle Would he consider coach- ing the for me; I started here and also Canadian Men’s Team if an opporclosed here in Canada” tunity came along? As central defender, Concina “There are a lot of problems at made his debut for Team Canada the root of Canadian soccer. There in a July 1988 friendly match is something wrong because it against Poland and immediately isn’t working,” he says. “You need scored his first international goal. radical changes, more professional He earned a total of four caps attitude and approach. Could use Enzo Concina (far right) with Nicolo Frustapuli (Assistant Manager, with the Senior team, including some quality up front but they Napoli), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Giussepe Pondrelli (Fitness Coach, Napoli) don’t have it. the 1993 CONCACAF Gold Cup. and Ezequiel Lavezzi (ex-Napoli player, now with French club GSP) “It is prestigious to play for “Coaching Canada is one of the your country. One of the problems was Earlier this year, newspaper reports toughest jobs in the world.” getting released from Italian teams,” he had him heading back to Canada as head In 2012 Concina was inducted into says. “I would have loved to play more for coach of Major League Soccer’s Montreal Canada’s Soccer Hall of Fame as captain Canada but it just didn’t happen. Italian Impact. As it turned out the deal fell of the Canadian National “Team of clubs feel they pay your salary and they through even before it started. Distinction” that made soccer history by own you.” “They (Montreal Impact) approached winning the first ever Francophone Games After the sun set on his playing career, me in an unofficial capacity,” he says. “We World Football Championships held in Concina turned his attention to coaching didn’t get into details. We were feeling Morocco in 1989. Enzo travelled back and until the end of last season, he was each other out. I didn’t want to leave home from Italy to attend the induction assistant technical manager (term for Napoli; certainly didn’t want to leave ceremonies last June. assistant coach) of the famous Italian Serie halfway through the season.” Earlier this year he was back in A club Napoli. That made him the only But eventually he did leave the his home city for his induction into Canadian so far employed in managerial Neapolitan club at the end of the season Mississauga’s Sports Hall of Fame. capacity at any top level of European club when his contract ran out. Not too shabby for an Italian-born, soccer. He served as bench boss for one “I would have loved being still involved Canadian-raised kid, eh? of Napoli’s Europa League matches (last with Napoli, but contract ran out.” Napoli season in the Chelsea-Napoli game in had a great season finishing runner-up to InsideSOCCER 13
FIT FACTS
La Pasiòn Why Uruguayans are so successful in soccer and what Canadians can learn from them! BY RICHARD BUCCIARELLI On August 27th to September 8th, 2013, I was contracted to run pre-season fitness assessments with Canadian SC Uruguay, a professional soccer team from Montevideo, Uruguay, that won promotion into the “B” Division (second division) of the Uruguayan Primera Liga this past spring. During my stay, I also had the privilege of watching several Uruguayan professional first team and academy teams train and play games. This experience had a profound impact on me as I was able to see, firsthand, various different aspects of the Uruguayan life and culture, into which the sport of soccer is deeply ingrained in a way that is hard to comprehend for a Canadian like me. The Uruguayans have a word for this love for the game, La Pasiòn – the passion. It is my opinion that La Pasiòn is the reason Uruguay has had such continued success in the sport. Below is a summary of the three reasons La Pasiòn has been so crucial to the success of soccer in Uruguay, and what we as Canadians can take away from it:
1.
Soccer is not just the most popular sport in Uruguay – it’s the only sport The first thing that became apparent to me right away about Uruguay was that everybody in the country lives eats and breathes soccer. It’s an obsession for the game that is ingrained into every Uruguayan citizen. Everywhere I went, I
14 October/November 2013
saw people playing soccer (on the street, on small patches of grass, on various outdoor and indoor fields, even in the airport terminals)! The only time that nobody in Uruguay is playing soccer is when the national team plays (a time when the entire country can be found either at home or at a restaurant/bar watching the game). The passion that Uruguayans have for the sport is never more evident than when you watch the players train. In my observations of youth academy training sessions, as well as first team practices, the players were literally fighting (shirt-pulling, wrestling, even kicking each other) to win and maintain possession of every ball from the start to the end of training. Based on my observations, it may be possible that the element that makes the Uruguayan training sessions more intense is simply that the players have more of a passion and love for the game than Canadian players do.
2.
The players are not just competing for a spot on the team – they are competing for their livelihood On the way to view a professional U16 academy team called River Plate train, my driver stopped to pick up another player from the team. On the ride to his house, we drove into a “barrio” (Spanish word for ghetto). The houses on this street were literally falling apart. There
was garbage everywhere, and there were people huddled under blankets on the sides of the road. The player came running out of the door and into the car. Over the course of the training session, it became apparent that he was one of the best players on the field, and certainly the most aggressive. When I spoke to one of the coaches, he explained his opinion on the subject: This player lives in the barrio. He has four siblings and his parents are barely earning enough money to pay their living expenses. He requires rides from other parents to get to training because he does not have a bicycle and cannot afford the cost of bus fare. He is hungry to succeed in soccer, because soccer represents the best way for him to escape his present living conditions. According to his coach, this player’s situation is not unique. He estimated that in a big city like Montevideo, there are probably over 10,000 talented young soccer players who cannot afford transportation to training. It may be possible that this hunger for success can raise the motivation of Uruguayan players, which in turn raises the intensity level of their training sessions. While it is obviously not possible to replicate the economic conditions in Uruguay in a country like Canada, it may be important to consider ways in which motivation and competitiveness may be increased in Canadian youth players.
3.
The training facilities and equipment are bad – and that’s a good thing One other, very important common thread can be found in Uruguayan soccer – something I noticed in all of the training grounds (both for first teams and academies) that I visited during my trip: the training facilities, especially the fields, are of poor quality. The fields that the professional teams train on in Uruguay are basically made up of very hard/dry grass and dirt, and they are not well maintained. The ground is not always level, and in some fields the penalty areas were so worn out that the entire six-yard box had basically been converted into a sand pit. I was
Richard Bucciarelli with Richard Medina, forward with Canadian SC Uruguay
expecting the hard and uneven ground to make the execution of technical skills more difficult for the players, especially when receiving the ball. Once the players began training, however, I noticed that the field conditions were actually helping the players improve their technique and speed of play. The Canadian SC first team seemed completely unaffected by the random and unpredictable bounces the ball was taking. They were still able to pass and move the ball on the ground
accurately, and their first touches were executed with speed and precision. Furthermore, it appeared that the field conditions had a positive impact on the players’ speed of play. Because the ball travels much faster and more unpredictably than it would on a better quality field, players on both sides of the ball (attackers and defenders) must react and make decisions much quicker. Almost all the professional teams in Uruguay (excluding the top teams like Peñarol and
Nacional) train on poor quality fields, but play their games on better-maintained natural grass pitches. If players and the team as a whole can keep possession, attack, and defend with speed on a hard dirt field, the transition to soft grass must make the game feel significantly easier. It seems that this effect has had a very positive impact on Uruguayan players’ development of both technical ability, and speed of play. Perhaps this may be another aspect of training that could be useful to further the development of Canadian soccer players. Richard Bucciarelli is the President of Soccer Fitness Inc., a soccerspecific strength and conditioning company located in Toronto. He recently spent two weeks in Uruguay assisting the coaching staff of Canadian SC, a professional team in the Uruguayan Primera ‘B’ division, during their pre-season. For more information about Richard and Soccer Fitness, please visit www.soccerfitness.ca.
Trio Sportsplex, 2nd Floor 601 Cityview Boulevard, Vaughan
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richard@soccerfitness.ca
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I don’t know what the FIFA executive board members were thinking when they voted to give the 2022 World Cup to the desert peninsula state of Qatar.
Qatar World Cup an Ever Growing Horror Picture BY Bob Koep
Everybody knew soccer could not be played there in the summer as midday temperatures rise to 50 degrees. But no outsider knows exactly why they stuck their heads in the noose and voted that way. Or maybe some rumors about influence peddling are not just rumors. The decision is without any logic. New evidence now indicates that direct political influence and the purchase of votes did the trick and the emerging story seems just to be the tip of an iceberg. Even UEFA president Michel Platini said “the awarding of major sporting events can be influenced by money.” He himself, he said, voted for Qatar after then French president Nicolas Sarkozy told him it is important for France to go that way. Nick Cohen of The Observer (England) wrote: “FIFA strikes me as a decadent organization whose behavior contradicts all its professed purposes.” And to play the World Cup there doesn’t make any sense. There is just one city in this country of Qatar - Doha, with a population of 1.6 million, and the rest is desert with just a few settlements or small towns here and there, usually along the coast. To stage the World Cup, Qatar will have to have 12 stadiums, 11 of them in Doha or its surrounding suburbs. Three already exist; they were built when Qatar hosted the 2011 AFC Asian Soccer Cup finals. The existing Khalif International Stadium will be increased from 50,000 to 68,000 capacity. The biggest to be built will be the 86,000 capacity Lusal Iconic Stadium at 16 October/November 2013
Al Dayeen, a community of 40,000 just North of Doha. Another 45,000 capacity arena to be named Al Shamal will be built in the small town of Madinat Ash Shamal (population 5,000) on the tip of the peninsula, some 100 km north of Doha. That will be the only stadium outside the greater Doha region. And all this in a country where soccer is not a big deal. The domestic league goes almost unnoticed and the championship game recently attracted some 500 fans at the afore-mentioned Khalif International Stadium. Most of these arenas will have to be torn down after the World Cup as there would be absolutely no demand for them. But, on the other hand, Qatar has buckets full of oil money and its ruler
won’t hesitate to spend some $ 20, 25 or 30 Billion on the project. Money is no object. Publicity is worth a lot more to him than money. The country is practically family owned with the head of state being one Emir Sheik Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, an absolute ruler. No political parties are allowed, no elections have ever been held, and the Emir decides everything and collects all the money. All top administrative positions are held by members of his family. There is no alcohol allowed in Qatar but there is one lone liquor store in the country to serve foreign, non-Muslim visitors who stay in hotels. That liquor store also sells pork but only to those entitled to buy liquor. Still, the Emir said he will allow the sale of alcohol in selected areas during the tournament mainly because one of the key sponsors of the World Cup is a prominent brewery. But the Emir put in a bid for the World Cup and FIFA voted in his favor, for goodness sake, leaving such more logical applications from the U.S., Australia, Korea and Japan in the dust. Traditionally FIFA always spreads the 64 World Cup games over 12 cities, if necessary thousands of kilometers apart, (such as in the upcoming tournament in Brazil) to make sure the travelling fans are not jammed into one location and everybody in the country can be part of the excitement. But in Qatar most of the 32 teams will have to descend on the city of Doha, all the tens of thousands of fans ( if they dare to show up) will have to find
accommodation in that one city unless they are willing to put up tents on the coast. But what to do about the heat? The summer is brutally hot there and the Emir suggested to air-condition all stadiums. “You can do that” said FIFA president Sepp Blatter, “but you can’t air-condition the whole country.” And if you cannot play there in the summer, as even Blatter admits, then it will have to be played in November/ December, the only time slot available because the winter Olympics (not yet allocated) are staged in the same year in late January, early February and the two events cannot overlap. Mid-day November temperatures in Qatar are about 30 degrees, a bit cooler in the evening - still plenty warm but not unbearable. But the prospect of playing the World Cup in early winter has caused massive protest from all corners of the game, particularly from the major pro leagues in Europe, not to mention the NBC and FOX networks in the US. , which have a $1 billion contract to televise the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in the month of June. How in the world can you stop the English Premier League, The Bundesliga in Germany, the Spanish and Italian leagues and others in the middle of their seasons? Shut down all soccer there from Mid-October to mid-December, two months in all? And then comes the Christmas break, so most Europeans can practically kiss league soccer good-bye for close to three months. All these leagues depend heavily on Television money and with no league TV for two or three months, there won’t be any income for the clubs. And when do you finish the season? Play right through A model of Al-Shamal Stadium, where group matches will take place.
5 February/March 2012
To stage the World Cup, Qatar will have to have 12 stadiums, 11 of them in Doha or its surrounding suburbs. Three already exist, they were built when Qatar hosted the 2011 AFC Asian Soccer Cup finals. Proposed Stadium
Lusail Iconic Stadium Khalifa International Stadium Sports City Stadium Al-Khor Stadium Al-Shamal Stadium Al-Wakrah Stadium Umm Salal Stadium Doha Port Stadium Education City Stadium Al-Gharafa Stadium Al Rayyan Stadium Qatar University Stadium
City
Al Daayen Doha Doha Al-Khor Ash-Shamal Al Wakrah Umm Salal Doha Al Rayyan Al Rayyan Al Rayyan Doha
June, July, and start the following season with just a two week break in between. The players have contracts for a six week summer break. And then the Champions League heaviest schedule is in the three months before Christmas. All the top clubs in Europe are playing twice a week during that time and all of that is supposed to be wiped out only because whatever motivated the FIFA board is a major blunder. The more European soccer people and TV networks kick this thing around, the bigger the horror picture gets. Premier League executive Richard Scudamore said “Playing the World Cup in winter is simply not realistic. Everybody bid to play the games in the summer and if Qatar can’t do that, the bidding should be re-opened.” In fact, changing the tournament to November will be open to legal challenges by the countries that were
Capacity 50,000 Expand to 68,030 47,560 45,330 45,120 45,120 45,120 44,950 45,350 Expand to 44,740 Expand to 44,740 43,520
rejected. The bidding was to stage the tournament in June and now, apparently, this doesn’t mean anything anymore. But the fact is: FIFA is now sitting between a rock and a hard place. It cannot take the Cup away from Qatar (without massive financial consequences) unless the accusation of influence peddling is proven in court, and it cannot afford to face massive court actions by all the major leagues in Europe plus the U.S. TV networks. In a worst case scenario, this could drive FIFA towards bankruptcy and one can only hope that cooler heads will prevail in due course. After all, there are still some nine years left before the opening kickoff. But realistically, this chaotic situation won’t go away, in fact it appears to get bigger and bigger as time goes on.
A model of Lusail-Iconic-Stadium, where the opening match, group matches, round of 16, quarter final, semi-final, and final matches will take place.
InsideSOCCER 17
MLS PLAYOFF CONTENDERS
HUNT
By Armen Bedakian
Who Will Win
the MLS Cup? The 2013 Major League Soccer season is down its final stretch now, and the final playoff picture has become clearer. Only 10 teams will make it to the post-season from the 19 clubs in the league, and while the usual contenders look set to qualify, there will be competition from some interesting underdog sides, too. The drama of the MLS playoffs is what every fan in this league anticipates from season’s start, so here’s a look at the top six MLS Cup title chasing hopefuls: As always, Major League Soccer’s eastern conference race is much more open than its western counterpart, with only a handful of teams competing at the top of the table. Here are the top three teams from the east:
extraordinary with otherwise ordinary footballers. It is a system that has accentuated the skill of players like Chance Myers, Seth Sinovic and C.J. Sapong. It has also produced star players for the national team like Graham Zusi and Matt Besler. They, alongside exceptional talents like Claudio Bieler and Aurelien Collin, have created a machine in Kansas, a mechanized winning system that is the sum of its parts unlike any in MLS. It’s earned Sporting Kansas City a well-deserved playoff spot!
Sporting Kansas City Tiki-Taka it is not, but Kansas is playing the MLS equivalent. Peter Vermes’ system keeps on churning out wins. Sporting KC, having now established a 4-3-3 system, is doing the
New York Red Bulls Thierry Henry is still king; his rule, Major League Soccer. The New York Red Bulls enjoyed a complete season at last, courtesy of the consistency of Henry and a starting XI
The Eastern Conference
18 October/November 2013
Photograph courtesy of FC Edmonton
Thierry Henry is looking to build off of a strong season and lead the New York Red Bulls to the MLS Cup.
built to compete. New York finally solved its goalkeeping issue by picking up Luis Robles, who has made his presence felt in MLS (and its online fantasy game, where he leads the keeper pool in points)! Mike Petke oversees the Red Bulls, a former player for the club himself now taking over as a young coach, and to great effect: New York hasn’t struggled with form all season and enters the playoffs with a pretty solid foundation behind them. The club also had a secret weapon in Bradley Wright-Phillips up top, but a hamstring injury late in the season will leave New York bare. Can Henry lead the forward line alone? You wouldn’t bet against it! Montreal Impact Marco Di Vaio, take a bow. It has been an excellent year for the Montreal Impact. A top contender in year two of the club’s MLS chapter, the Impact has become an intimidating force in the league. Di Vaio is a large part of the club’s success this season, the 36-year-old Italian forward scoring goals left, right and centre. Yet he is not alone; Brazilian midfielder Felipe has enjoyed a stellar season pulling the strings, and his partner, Canadian midfielder Patrice Bernier, has been an anchor for the team. This trio, alongside a supporting cast of fine starters, have not only secured a playoff spot, but also an Amway Canadian Championship title in 2013. Teams Worth Noting With Montreal soaring high and New York staying strong, a pair of teams have dropped off significantly in the eastern conference this season. The first is the Chicago Fire, who made the playoffs last season, but has struggled in 2013. Chicago is in the wild card hunt but regardless of its final season standings, it has not been a strong year for the club.
The second team, and perhaps the more notable, is D.C. United. Ben Olsen’s side finished in second place in the eastern conference last season but are dead last in the entire league this year. D.C. United looks a shell of its former glory and must undergo large and sweeping changes if the team is to return to its dominant state in the east. This season has not been kind to D.C., who, alongside Toronto FC, was eliminated from playoff contention before the season’s final stretch.
The Western Conference
It has been a hotly contested western conference once more, with many teams within five points of each other down the final stretch of the season. It has become increasingly difficult to predict just how the western conference finished in the league, but three teams have emerged as contenders, and surprisingly, Los Angeles isn’t among them! Here are the western conference’s top three candidates:
Real Salt Lake Former champion Real Salt Lake looks to stake its claim once again. With rumours that Jason Kreis may be leaving his post as head coach to join the league’s 20th team - New York City F.C. - his focus will be on winning the MLS Cup one more time with Real Salt Lake. The side has been rebuilt with a focus on younger players, and for a time, the project looked like it has taken two steps back: the departure of Will Johnson was a big blow but by picking up Joao Plata from Toronto FC, Real Salt Lake recovered in style. Real Salt Lake is a team still relying on the likes of Nick Rimando, Kyle Beckerman and Javier Morales, though, so while the team will see some post season action, questions of longevity will surely arise. Seattle Sounders Green is the colour of the western conference. The 2013 season has been a statement
Marco Di Vaio has had a season to remember – leading his team in shots on goal and goals.
InsideSOCCER 19
year for the Seattle Sounders, a team that has the term “Designated Player” written all over it: Eddie Johnson, the free scoring striker and U.S. international, Shalrie Joseph, the hard tackling midfielder and Djimi Traore, the defensive anchor from Mali are three of the hardest working and most talented players in the league... and they’re not DPs! No, that title goes to the creative Mauro Rosales, the ever threatening Obafemi Martins and the infamous Clint Dempsey, each a DP playing for one of the most star-studded teams in the league. Don’t forget Ozzy Alonso, Steve Zakuani or DeAndre Yedlin, though! Talk about building a roster! Portland Timbers Real Salt Lake’s loss is the Portland Timbers’ gain. Will Johnson is the man at Portland, but he’s not alone. A midfield comprised of players like Diego Valeri, Darlington Nagbe and Diego Chara makes Portland one of the toughest and most technical in the middle of the park. The results have followed. Portland, in its third year in MLS, has become a powerhouse, and while the team hasn’t used the DP spot as well as Seattle has, the club has certainly done well with its resources. Portland, like Montreal, has excelled this year and will be heading into the playoffs as green as its crest and shirt, but inexperienced teams have won the MLS Cup before, something this team will hope to replicate at season’s end. Teams Worth Noting The LA Galaxy is, once again, struggling to replicate its MLS Supporter’s Shield winning form. Bruce Arena’s Galaxy side is nowhere near the top of the table and while a spot in the playoffs may be there, 20 October/November 2013
it’s certainly a bit disappointing for a side that was once heralded as the best in the league. David Beckham’s departure didn’t leave that big a hole in the line-up for the Galaxy, and while Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan continue to influence entire games by themselves, it seems the rest of the Western Conference has caught up with their level of talent. Meanwhile, the Vancouver Whitecaps continue to edge in and out of the wild card spot, teetering the line between a successful year or a year of being just inches close. A loss to Montreal in the Amway Canadian Championship means Vancouver needs a playoff spot, or its year will more closely resemble Toronto FC’s – a year wasted. Playoff Predictions: It’s hard not to see the Seattle Sounders really threatening to take the MLS Cup this season. The Sounders have been on form the entire year, and have only gotten better with the acquisition of Dempsey. However, don’t be shocked if the Montreal Impact gives the rest of the league a run for the money. Montreal and Portland are two teams much improved and could be title contenders come season’s end. That being said, a wise man wouldn’t bet against the New York Red Bulls, who will be favourites heading into the playoffs. The likes of the Houston Dynamo or the Colorado Rapids could also threaten to take the title, but this season has been filled with so many consistent sides that it’s hard to see one of the wild card winners taking home the MLS Cup. So, all that being said, the one question that remains is this: Who Will Win the MLS Playoffs? The New York Red Bulls.
Like Beckham before him, Henry is desperate for league silverware to celebrate his time in MLS. This season, Henry has been so dangerous and with a supporting cast finally up to the task of playing alongside the legendary Frenchman, 2013 is New York’s best chance at winning the MLS Cup.
Midfielder Diego Chara and the Portland Timbers enter the playoffs as underdogs, but inexperienced teams have won the MLS Cup before.
(#17) o the
TRIP OF A
LIFETIME
Ontario community brings soccer camp to Grenada By Dave Kenny
Photographs by Saskia Teri
The usual first assignment of the school year is to write about what you did on your summer vacation. For a group of students from southwestern Ontario, the story might be titled “My Trip of a Lifetime.” For the last two weeks of August, six families and a few other volunteers from the Bethel Baptist Church spent their time bringing the “Beautiful Game” to the children of St. Georges, Grenada. The purpose of the trip was to treat the children of St. Georges to a free soccer camp while at the same time helping to rebuild the roof of a local sports pavilion. The roof had been leaking rainwater since it was damaged by Hurricane Ivan, back in 2005. Irwin Pronk, a 20- year coach with the Fergus-Elora District Soccer Club and church member, led the group of 25, 15
of whom were members of the church youth group, to the tiny island off the coast of Venezuela. Having to spend four months fundraising for the cost of the construction materials, Pronk was extremely pleased with the support of the local Fergus community. “Hats off to the people and businesses of Fergus,” said Pronk during a recent telephone interview. “Once we told them what we were doing, people went out of their way to help us.” (Fergus is an Ontario town of about 15,000 residents, nestled along the Grand River, 30 kilometres north of Guelph.)
While some worked on the sports pavilion, others set up a drop in soccer clinic for the locals. The Canadians had collected donations of soccer balls and equipment to outfit the locals. The camp was ready to start at 9:00 each morning, with approximately 20 local players turning up to the “Football Pasture” (soccer field). Since local residents are on “Caribbean time,” by noon the number of players at camp would swell to at least 80. Pronk was surprised by the skill level of the players. “The kids were great at all the fancy tricks. What they lacked was the basics like kicking with proper technique or with both feet, and positioning.” “Before we left, we made sure every family received a ball,” said Pronk, adding that other equipment, bags, cones, etc. was given to the local coach, who assisted at the camp, as well as to the local school and church. A return trip may be in the future for the good Samaritans from Fergus. As Pronk concludes: “There is still a lot of work to do on the community centre.”
InsideSOCCER 21
The outdoor turf field at The Soccer Centre in Vaughan has served the Ontario Soccer Association remarkably well over the past eight years.
TO
BERMUDA AND BACK:
By David Boccia
The field has hosted both provincial and national championships in addition to countless hours of use by the Canadian national teams, provincial and regional programs, academies and adult league play, not to mention some highly competitive staff games. We had started the process of assessing our options for replacing the turf when the email appeared in my inbox - an invitation to Robert Tobin (Nova Scotia Soccer) and to me to represent the Canadian Soccer Association as delegates at a threeday seminar on Facilities Management to be held in Hamilton, Bermuda from May 21-24. The seminar was being hosted by the Bermuda Football Association and facilitated by FIFA , the sport’s global governing body, and would provide an in-depth look at both artificial turf and natural grass maintenance. Thirty-six delegates, two from each of 18 CONCACAF member nations, were represented at the seminar. The opportunity could not have come at a better time for both the Ontario Soccer Association and for me. The seminar was facilitated by Xevi Tordera, a turf consultant, under the guidance of Stuart Larman, Manager of Revenue Generation and Infrastructure with FIFA. Xevi was not only a consultant to FIFA but had just finished a 15-year stint as Head Groundskeeper for FC Barcelona at Camp Nou, home to arguably the best natural grass field in Europe. During the morning break on the first day of the seminar, Xevi shared some incredible photos during his time with FC Barcelona, most notably one with superstar Lionel Messi in the tunnel leading into the stadium. 22 October/November 2013
A CANADIAN PERSPECTIVE One of the messages repeated throughout the seminar still resonates. While the athlete is the pivot point in any soccer matrix, nothing else matters without a field that can be played on. Call it an epiphany moment but this statement struck me. All of the countless hours and time committed to improving our wonderful game would not be
possible without a field. The seminar was divided into two modules to cover both artificial turf and grass, and included site visits to various fields around Bermuda, including the National Sports Centre in Devonshire Parish, just east of Hamilton. The natural grass field at the stadium is slated to be replaced later this year, following the
Front row: Angenie Kanhai (FIFA), Howard McIntosh (FIFA), Larry Mussenden (Bermuda Football Association), Stuart Larman (FIFA), Xevi Tordera (Facilitator) Back row (not in order of appearance): Raymond Guishard (Anguilla), Leon Jeffers (Anguilla), Stanley Joseph (Antigua-Barbuda), Karel Williams (Aruba), Trevor McKenzie (Bahamas), Lawrence Williams (Bahamas), Neil Walker (Barbados), Kofie Worell (Barbados), Wendell Dill (Bermuda), Stanford Bean (Bermuda), Goodwin Spencer (Bermuda), Calvin Waldron (Bermuda), Ritchie Morton (British Virgin Islands), Xavier Samuels (British Virgin Islands), David Boccia (Canada), Robert Tobin (Canada), Allan Flynn Bush (Cayman Islands), Mark Campbell (Cayman Islands), Mahinder Ghanshiam (Guyana), Thomas Hardat (Guyana), Desmon Brown (Jamaica), Ian Kemble (Jamaica), McPherson Meade (Montserrat), Robert Albert Murrain (Montserrat), Emmanuel Bellas (St Lucia), Melvin William (St Lucia), Lauron Baptiste (St Vincent and the Grenadines), Woodrow Williams (St Vincent and the Grenadines ), Dominic Stevens (St Kitts and Nevis), James Walters (St Kitts and Nevis), Glenn Kranenburg (Suriname), Bidjaikoemar Mankoe (Suriname), Paul Slattery (Turks and Caicos), Carlton Freeman (US Virgin Islands), Dale Richards (US Virgin Islands)
completion of a $15M aquatic training facility on the same property. The venue was impressive with many best practices learned during the visit. We also spent many hours in a classroom setting reviewing things such as the RFP (request for proposal) process for building a new field, specific maintenance techniques and standards for turf and grass fields, identification of infestations and invasive species, and much more. There was a lot of material to cover but it was an excellent opportunity to reinforce existing knowledge and learn new concepts as well. Unbeknownst to any of the participants, the seminar would conclude on the last day with an assessment. Stuart announced that the assessment results would provide the facilitator and FIFA data to determine how well the course content was being retained and what changes would be considered, if any. He went on to explain that all participants that “passed” both tests would be invited to participate in advanced training sessions with FIFA at some point within the next six to 12 months. Those individuals would be identified by FIFA as support resources or subject matter experts in their home region, CONCACAF in our case. Fortunately, Robert and I were two of 10 participants that successfully completed the assessment and have been invited to continue. This was a humbling experience as it was already an honour just to represent the CSA at the seminar. The parting message from the seminar was clear. FIFA expects us to take all of what we have learned and share it with as many people as possible in our soccer community. We can only improve the player experience by working collectively to share information and best practices in all aspects of our game. This is precisely what I intend to do. My parting message is actually a quote taken from the current President of the OSA, Ron Smale. “Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, working together is success.”
Special thanks are extended to the following individuals: Angenie Kanhai, Jinelle James, Howard McIntosh and Stuart Larman from FIFA for doing a marvelous job organizing an excellent professional development and networking opportunity for the delegates. Xevi Tordera for delivering the course content in an engaging, passionate and informative way. Larry Mussenden, David Sabir and the rest of the staff and volunteers from the Bermuda Football Association for their incredible hospitality and kindness. Peter Montopoli and Jennifer Purdy from the CSA for extending the invitation to attend the seminar and making it all possible. David Boccia is the Facilities Manager at The Soccer Centre in Vaughan, Ontario. In this role, he is responsible for establishing the long term and strategic direction for and management of the soccer facility. Key accountabilities include leadership and planning in the areas of facility maintenance, administration, strategic planning, programming and scheduling. The goal is to optimize community participation and develop key public and private level partnerships. David can be reached at 905-264-9390 x251 or dboccia@soccer.on.ca. The Soccer Centre is Canada’s leading competition, training, education, and exposition soccer facility. Like no other site in Canada, The Soccer Centre features a 130,000 square foot field house that can accommodate three indoor soccer fields or one full size 11-a-side game. In the winter months, a 25,000 sq ft air-supported structure encompasses 1/3 of the international size outdoor turf field, creating additional training space. Tenants include The Ontario Soccer Association, The Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum, Sports Injury Rehabilitation Centre (SIRC), Ontario Women’s Soccer League (OWSL), Ontario Soccer League (OSL) and the Provincial Indoor Soccer League (PISL). The Bermuda National Sports Centre
The Facilities Manager (kneeling) at the Bermuda National Sports Centre providing an overview of maintenance procedures at the facility.
Kind Regards, David
InsideSOCCER 23
Phil Woosnam A Soccer Pioneer BY MIKE TOTH
Phil Woosnam was not just another soccer pioneer from Great Britain to have landed in North America nearly four decades ago – he was also a visionary who has played a major role in paving the road to success in what then was pretty much a barren land in the world’s most popular sport. He never had any doubt the beautiful game would succeed and prosper – eventually. “I’m convinced that soccer will have a bright future in North America if we do it right,” he told me when we first met in 1967. And yes, they did it right and today soccer ranks among the continent’s major sports alongside baseball, football and ice hockey. Woosnam died earlier this year at 80 24 October/November 2013
years of age in Dunwoody, Georgia from complications related to prostate cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. He left behind a huge legacy. He will be remembered as probably the most influential figure in North American soccer history. A native of Wales, Woosnam served as commissioner of the original North American Soccer League (NASL) over its heyday from 1968-1984. During that glitzy period some of the world’s biggest and
Phil Woosnam (#17) in action against the Toros’ Lucio Calonga in 1967. brightest superstars ventured to North America to play in the NASL including Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Eusebio, Johan Cruyff, Carlos Alberto, George Best, Gordon Banks, Bobby Moore, Giorgio Chinaglia, Geoff Hurst, Teofilo (Nene) Cubillas and others. Before making his way to the United States in 1967 to join the Atlanta Chiefs in what then was a pirate league unsanctioned by FIFA, the world’s soccer governing body, Woosnam had enjoyed a 16-year career in English soccer with stops at Manchester City, Leyton Orient, West Ham United and Aston Villa. He also played 17 times for the Welsh National Team, scoring three goals. As far as Woosnam was concerned, soccer’s attractiveness is that it is a simple, easy game to comprehend. “The rules of soccer are very simple. Basically
it is this: if it moves, kick it. If it doesn’t move, kick it until it does” was among his favorite sayings. As a player-coach with the Atlanta Chiefs, he wound up scoring nine goals in 21 appearances during the 1967 National Professional Soccer League. The following year the man with miniscule administrative experience became commissioner, running the league – such as it was, down to only five clubs, a far cry from the previous year’s 17. Never a shrinking violet, Woosnam managed to revive the corpse with help from an old Brit friend, former Fleet Street soccer journalist Clive Toye. (Toye wound up running the Baltimore Bays, then eventually at a later stage, the glamour club New York Cosmos). When the 1979 season kicked off,
the league’s membership consisted of a healthy roster of 24 teams, including the New York Cosmos franchise, owned by Hollywood’s giant Warner Communications, giving the league a much-needed Hollywood glitter. But such membership also presented problems for the rookie commissioner. Used to high scoring sports such as football and baseball as example that high scores translate to larger crowds, the American business owners wanted to see more goals in their desire to attract larger crowds thus putting the league on financially stable grounds. They blamed the offside rule for low goal productions saying it “killed the game.” In an attempt to satisfy the owners and keep the game flowing, Woosnam came up with the controversial 35
yard-line rule. Under the rule offside began not at the halfway line but at a line 35 yards from the goal. To keep the league legitimate, Woosnam approached the world’s governing body to obtain permission for this basic departure from legitimate laws of the game and did receive green light in 1973 from FIFA to go ahead as “an experiment.” It lasted for eight years when FIFA eventually pulled the plug on the “great American experiment” in 1981. Woosnam ran the league for 15 years, moving the league offices to New York. The NASL expanded to 24 teams, but many observers feared that it grew too quickly and eventually it started to lose franchises - dropping to 21 clubs for the 1981 season and further down to 14 in 1982. Woosnam got blamed for the woes and club owners voted to remove him from office as NASL commissioner in 1982. He eventually became the managing director of the then-marketing arm of the U.S. Soccer Federation. Woosnam eventually became a naturalized U.S. citizen and was inducted into the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame. Phil is not the sole sports celebrity in the Woosnam family. He was a cousin to golfing great Ian Woosnam and a nephew of English soccer player Max Woosnam. Atlanta’s player-coach Phil Woosnam (#17) watches Toro’s Novak Tomic put his head to the ball in a 1967 game.
InsideSOCCER 25
Rhian Wilkinson. Lilly enjoyed a decorated playing career and currently holds the record as the most capped women’s soccer player in history with 352 appearances for the U.S. Women’s National Team. With the U.S. team, she was a FIFA World Cup champion (1999) and threetime bronze medalist (1995, 2003, 2007), as well as a two-time Olympic champion (1996, 2004) and silver medalist (2000). Lilly also played he collegiate career with the powerhouse University of North Carolina Tar Heels, where she won the NCAA National Championship in all of her four years at the school (1989-1992). In 2012, Lilly was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.
CLINICIANS/GUEST SPEAKERS TONY FONSECA Tony Fonseca is the current Technical Director of the Canadian Soccer Association and former head coach of the Canadian U-23 and U-20 men’s national teams. He also served as an assistant coach with the Canadian senior men’s national team from 2007-2013. Fonseca spent time as the Head Coach and Technical Director of the Vancouver Whitecaps after ending his playing career with the club. He also played professional soccer in Portugal for Benfica, Vitória Guimarães and Estrela Amadora, while representing Portugal internationally with the men’s nationalteam. TONY DICICCO Tony DiCicco is one of the most decorated coaches in the history of the women’s game. As head coach of the United States Women’s National Team, he guided the team to the 1999 FIFA World Cup championship and the gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, while amassing an overall career record of 108 wins, 8 losses, and 8 ties. He also experienced success at the youth level, leading the U.S. Women’s U-20 National team to a World Cup victory in 2008. During his time with the national team programs, DiCicco worked with the likes of Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly, Judy Foudy and Michelle Akers. He also served as head coach for the Boston Breakers in the women’s professional soccer league in the United States. For his coaching accomplishments, DiCicco was inducted into the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2012. He currently works as a soccer commentator for ESPN. MARTIN VASQUEZ Martin Vasquez is the current assistant coach of the United States men’s national team and former assistant coach of FC Bayern Munich of the German Bundesliga, working with Head Coach Jurgen
Klinsmann in both roles. Vasquez also spent many years coaching in Major League Soccer (MLS) as an assistant coach with the L.A. Galaxy and head coach of Chivas USA. He has worked with some of the world’s top players, including Bastian Schweinsteiger, Franck Ribery, Miroslav Klose, and Landon Donovan. As a player, Vasquez competed in the MLS with the Tampa Bay Mutiny and San Jose Clash, and holds the distinction of being the first player to play for both the Mexican and U.S. men’s national teams. Most recently in July 2013, Vasquez helped lead the United States Men’s National team to the CONCACAF Gold Cup Championship. DANNY DICHIO Danny Dichio is the current Head Coach of the KIA Toronto FC Academy senior team and former assistant coach with the Toronto FC First-Team during the 2010 MLS season. He also served as technical director of the Thornhill Soccer Club after retiring from a decorated playing career. Dichio played with many storied clubs in Europe, including Queen’s Park Rangers, Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion in England, and Sampdoria and Lecce in Italy. He ended his career with Toronto FC in the MLS, and scored the first goal in club history on May 12th, 2007. He was also a member of the Canadian Championship winning team in 2009, which was the club’s first trophy. Dichio currently holds a USSF National A and UEFA B coaching license. He is currently pursuing his professional youth license in Europe through the French Football Federation. Off the field, Dichio is a soccer analyst on Fox Soccer News. KRISTINE LILLY Kristine Lilly has coached many top female players, including: Carmelina Moscato, Heather O’Reilly and
COLIN MILLER Colin Miller is the current head coach of FC Edmonton in the NASL and served as the interim head coach of the Canadian men’s national team, which included leading the team at the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Miller was a former assistant coach with the Vancouver Whitecaps and a head coach with their Residency Program, as well as first team coach with Derby County FC in the English Premier League. During his playing career Miller played with Rangers FC, St. Johnstone, Dunfermline and Hearts FC in the Scottish First Division, and represented Canada at the international level, which included participation in the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. MARC DOS SANTOS Marc Dos Santos was named head coach of the NASL expansion Ottawa Fury FC in May 2013. A veteran of professional soccer in Canada, Dos Santos was a former head coach of the Montreal Impact in the United Soccer League, leading the team to the 2009 USL Championship. Most recently, he spent time in Brazil as the technical director of Desportivo Brasil and head coach of the Primeira Camisa U-20 team. He also served as a youth academy coach of SE Palmeiras, one of the most successful clubs in Brazilian history. They captured the Youth Brazilian Championship in 2012. CANDACE CHAPMAN Candace Chapman made her 100th career international appearance for the Canadian women’s national team in January 2012 at the CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying tournament in Vancouver, BC. Chapman is the ninth player in the teams’ history to reach this milestone. With an impressive career representing Canada, Chapman is in her 11th season with the national team, having made her debut in March 2002 against Scotland. Chapman has represented Canada at two FIFA Women’s World Cups (China 2007 and Germany 2011), Women’s Olympic Football Tournament (Beijing 2008), four CONCACAF qualification tournaments (2006, 2008, 2010, 2012), two Pan American Games (bronze in 2007 and gold in 2011), as well as represented Canada at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup (silver medal at Canada 2002). Most recently Chapman was named to Canada’s
All-Time starting eleven and became a Bronze Medalist representing Canada at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Candace currently plays professional soccer for the Washington Spirit. RICHARD BUCCIARELLI Richard Bucciarelli is the current head strength and conditioning coach with the KIA Toronto FC Academy and president of Soccer Fitness in Vaughn, Ont. He also worked as a strength and conditioning coach with many of the Canadian
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE Friday, January 31 10:00am Check-in and Registration (Pavilion) 11:00am # 1 On-field session 12:00pm # 2 On-field session 1:00pm # 3 On-field session 3:30pm # 4 Classroom session 4:30pm # 5 Classroom session 7:00pm # 6 On-field session 8:00pm # 7 On-field session 9:00pm # 8 On-field session Saturday, February 1 8:00am Check-in and Registration (Pavilion) 9:00am # 9 On-field session 10:00am # 10 On-field session 11:00am # 11 On-field session 2:00pm # 12 Classroom session 3:00pm # 13 Classroom session 5:00pm # 14 On-field session 6:00pm # 15 On-field session 7:00pm # 16 On-field session 8:30pm Coaches’ Social – Duke of York Pub Sunday, February 2 9:00am # 17 On-field session 10:00am # 18 On-field session 11:00am # 19 On-field session 12:00pm # 20 On-field session On-field sessions are located at the Varsity Centre Dome Classroom sessions are located in the OISE auditorium
national youth teams. Bucciarelli is a certified strength and conditioning specialist, exercise physiologist and kinesiologist, and has been a delegate and presenter at many international conferences including: First World Conference on Science and Soccer (Liverpool, England, 2008), Second World Conference on Science and Soccer (Port Elizabeth, South Africa, 2010) and Seventh World Congress on Science and Football (Nagoya, Japan, 2011). ISAAC RAYMOND Isaac Raymond is a Canadian Soccer Association
national referee instructor and assessor, and a former national referee. He is one of four FIFA Futuro III referee technical instructors in Ontario and one of three FIFA Futuro III referee fitness instructors in Canada. As such, Raymond is certified to disseminate guidelines and interpretations in Laws of the Game and fitness for referees across Canada. Raymond is also a member of the Ontario Soccer Association Advanced Referee Training Committee and leads training courses across Canada.
FEES & REGISTRATION
ACCOMMODATION
Fees:
$175.00 (includes HST) - early bird special until November 30, 2013 $215.00 (includes HST) December 1, 2013 Special group rates are available
Hotel rooms are available on a first-come first-serve basis. Rooms will be released January 1, 2014 please book early. When calling please quote promo code: NSC for the discounted conference rate.
Register online: complete online registration by visiting www.varsityblues.ca/nscc
Hotel: Holiday Inn Toronto Bloor-Yorkville Address: 280 Bloor Street West Phone: 416-968-0010 (Toll Free: 1800-HOLIDAY) Fax: 416-968-7765 Contact: Sonia Waite Email: sonia.waite@whg.com Website: www.hitorontoblooryorkville.ca Room Rates: $129.99 - single/double room $139.99 - triple/quad room Plus applicable 13% HST tax, per room, per night. Choice of Standard: one Queen bed or two Double beds Rate available 2 days prior to and 2 days following the event Parking: $22.00 per day, underground parking at hotel, with unlimited in and out privileges. Distance from conference: Less than 0.1 km
Register by mail: • complete registration form • include cheque payable to University of Toronto and mail to: University of Toronto Athletic Centre 55 Harbord Street Toronto, ON M5S 2W6 Attn: National Soccer Coaching Conference Please allow 4-5 business days for processing Questions? Please contact the University of Toronto Varsity Blues soccer Head Coach Anthony Capotosto at 416-978-3571 or a.capotosto@utoronto.ca
Hotel: Toronto Marriott Bloor-Yorkville Hotel Address: 90 Bloor Street East Phone: 416-961-8000 Fax: 416-961-4635 Website: www.marriott.com Room Rates: $139.00 - single room $139.00 - double room Parking: $15.00 per day underground parking Distance from conference: Less than 0.7 km
FC EDMONTON
Eddie’S FALL CAMPAIGN:
Not the Best of Times BY STEVEN SANDOR Photographs by FC Edmonton
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Those words from Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities are certainly appropriate to describe the North American Soccer League (NASL) fall season in the Alberta capital. There were so many positives: attendances regularly pushed past the 3,000 mark for FC Edmonton’s home games at Clarke Stadium (a sign that the fan base is growing and willing to make a commitment to regularly show up to games in the refurbished facility); the franchise also kicked off a women’s team in Edmonton, and announced a satellite program for both girls and boys in Calgary, making FCE not only Edmonton’s team, but Alberta’s team (at least in terms of offering opportunities to elite players). But, on the field, the Eddies are in the midst of a tough fall campaign. Through the first nine games of the NASL’s second season, the Eddies had just one win, and that was a 1-0 triumph over the last-place San Antonio Scorpions. The Eddies had five draws in those nine games; but it wasn’t enough to keep them in the pack. In fact, all five draws came in a row, at home and on the road. 28 October/November 2013
The word “unbelievable” is perhaps the most overused collection of syllables in sports broadcasting and writing. It’s often used to describe feats that, though quite incredible, are very believable. But, the Eddies string of draws was a feat finally worthy of the “unbelievable” tag. Each and every one of those five consecutive draws finished with a 1-1 scoreline. It’s one thing to endure five straight draws, but to play five draws that all finished at 1-1? What are the chances? About 40,000 to one, apparently. Chris Anderson, co-author of The Numbers Game, studied games across the major European leagues and found that 1-1 scores happen about 12 percent of the time. So, to figure out the probability of a team reaching a 1-1 scoreline five times in a row, it’s 0.12 x 0.12 x 0.12 x 0.12 x 0.12. And, when you work it out, you get the 40,000:1 odds. But those 1-1 draws are indicators
of the Eddies’ biggest problem: scoring goals; lack of goal-scoring, actually. So far, through nine fall season matches, FCE has yet to score more than one goal in a game. The Eddies have just seven goals total, an average of 0.778 per game. How serious a problem is it? Put it this way. In the spring season, the Eddies’ had the lowest goals-against total in the league, yet still finished third from the bottom. In the fall season, the Eddies were tied for the best defensive record in the league, allowing just nine goals. And they were second from the bottom. The Eddies’ defence is so good, that the team doesn’t need to score much to win. The problem is that it can’t even score a little. Shaun Saiko, the team’s all-time leading scorer, has zero fall-season goals and has been relegated to a bench role by coach Colin Miller. New signing Anthony Adur, a Canadian striker who had success in the Thai league, hasn’t scored. Northern Irish striker Daryl Fordyce has scored just one fall-season goal, and that was an extra-time consolation in a 2-1 home loss to Minnesota United FC. Corey Hertzog, who came on loan from the Whitecaps to the Eddies, has just two goals. To add injury to the insult, 20-year-old Canadian striker Michael Cox was lost for the season with a knee injury after colliding with Fort Lauderdale Strikers’ keeper Richard Sanchez. Who has the most Eddies’ goals in the fall season? Chris Nurse, a holding midfielder. He had three in the span of three August games, and was named NASL Player of the Month for his work. No game illustrated the Eddies’ scoring woes more than a 1-0 road loss to Atlanta that closed out the September schedule. The Silverbacks took the early lead, and then went down to 10 men before halftime, when Danny Barrera stomped on Eddie David Proctor. The Eddies had the man advantage for almost a full hour, and couldn’t muster much in terms of offence. There were only two chances of note: a Fordyce effort from the middle of the box that was blasted wide, and a chance from Hertzog that
forced Atlanta keeper Eric Ati to make a decent, but not spectacular, save. It was after that loss that Miller admitted that the Eddies’ needed wholesale changes up front. “It will be something we’ll need to address before next season - that we’ll have to bring in some attacking players,” he said. But while Miller and Co. were frustrated on the field, there was plenty of good news when it came to the team’s operations. Crowds improved in the fall season. Through the spring campaign, it was a good day if Clarke Stadium had more than 2,000 fans for games. But throughout August and September, crowds of better than 3,000 became the norm. And, FC Edmonton partnered with the Alberta Soccer Association to launch a women’s program in the city. But, that wasn’t all — the Eddies and the ASA also announced plans to launch a satellite youth program in Calgary, one that would take in boys and girls. Like the women’s program in Edmonton, the Calgary team would groom players under the watchful eye of the Excel program, which identifies the elite female players in the country.
Meanwhile, the boys playing in Calgary would be looked at and evaluated by FCE staff. The boys that made the grade would get the chance to make the move north up the Queen Elizabeth II Highway to join the big club. As for including women in the program, owner Tom Fath said that he and his brother, Dave, invested in the team so that it would serve the community. And, until a women’s team launched, FCE only “served half of the community.” Right now, the Edmonton and Calgary programs are only taking in high-schoolaged girls. But Fath said he wouldn’t rule out a bid for an FC Edmonton team in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) if, and this is a big if, the men’s team stabilizes and starts to run in the black. “That is something we could look to do in the future,” he said. “It’s too bad that there’s not a Canadian team in there (NWSL). But, if we did go that route, it would be a few years away.” In the second week of September, the inaugural group of 15 girls were named to the women’s program in Edmonton. They will be guided by Sergio Teixeira, who coached the Alberta team at the Canada Games. “There had been talk about it (the
Shaun Saiko was the face of FC Edmonton. He was the hometown kid who had been with the franchise since day one. Was is the key word. With five games left to go in the regular season, coach Colin Miller risked the ire of the team’s fanbase when he made the decision to demote Saiko to the youth team. Saiko will play out the rest of his contract with the reserves and won’t be back next year. Saiko was a member of the NASL Best XI in 2011. He led FCE in scoring in both 2011 and 2012. He has 18 career goals for the Eddies, but just two came this year.
Miller said Saiko’s attitude had become a distraction, and the die was cast when Saiko, during the break between the spring and fall seasons, turned down a contract offer. But sources close to the situation confirmed that the contract extension would have required Saiko to take a significant pay cut. “There were a number of different reasons,” said Miller. “Things didn’t just work out for Shaun here. He won’t be back with us next year and he isn’t going to train with the first team. “I wish him well, wherever he will be next season.” Saiko plans to move on and thanked
NOW, THE GOOD NEWS
MOVING ON
women’s team) for some time now,” said Teixeira. “But, definitely when the call came I was very excited. I am looking forward to working with this group. I have worked with most of them through the Alberta program. But to have them all together at the same time will be great.” The women’s team in Calgary will be named in October. Both Calgary and Edmonton teams will train indoors through the winter, and play regular games against Canadian university women’s squads. For Edmonton goalkeeper Breanne Ilkuf, who has already committed to St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, being part of the very first FC Edmonton women’s team is a major career boost. “It’s going to mean a lot, especially with all the training we do - consistent training; consistent improvement.” The Eddies have succeeded in making its program more well-rounded. The next goal is scoring some goals. The better the Eddies’ NASL team gets, the more attention the program as a whole will earn.
Background photo: Lance Laing
the supporters. ““The supporters have been nothing but fantastic for me,” he said. As expected, cutting a hometown hero wasn’t something that made life easy on the PR department. In the first home game after the move, a 2-1 win over Carolina that saw Edmonton score multiple goals in a game for the first time in the fall season, a large “#6 Shaun Saiko” banner was hung from the supporters’ section. After the match, Miller met with members of the supporters’ groups to explain his decision.
InsideSOCCER 29
CAN-SO-REF
Refereeing without guesswork. Maybe By PAUL GARDNER We now have PRO, the Professional Referees Organization, which is supposed to bring about significant improvements in the standard of MLS refereeing. We await developments on that front. In the meantime, PRO is giving us a spiffy website (www.proreferees.com) that includes a “Play of the Week” section that explains unusual or controversial calls from MLS games. Something I always find interesting -- if only because I don’t think referees do nearly enough explaining. Mind you, I do believe that things are changing. There is quite a lot of evidence that the old attitude -- that referees are not obliged to explain their calls -- is crumbling. Referees may not yet grant coaches and players and fans and journalists a “right to know,” but I find them much more open and willing to discuss their actions than used to be the case. Television, of course, with its endless slow-mo replays, has made the huge difference. Thus, the PRO website can make use of excellent video clips to make its points. Another plus for the “Call of the Week” is that it has already included an example where the referee was adjudged to have got his call wrong. How long that sort of honesty will last, who knows? The latest example (the assistant referee gets it right) is taken from the April 20 Dallas vs. Vancouver game. It hinges not so much on the specifics of an incident, but on general refereeing attitudes. One of those goal-line incidents showed the ball was hooked away -- but had crossed the line. Paul Rejer, PRO’s training and development manager, pointing out 30 October/November 2013
that the assistant referee was in perfect position, on the goal line, to make the call and confirm the goal, has this to say: “If the AR is in any other position, apart from the goal-line, he will not be able to make the call. Instead, he would have to take a guess, and we instruct officials never to do that -- only give what you see is the message.” Now that sounds sensible and, really, indisputable. But is it? In the example given, the referee faces three possibilities: he saw the ball cross the line; or he saw that the ball did not cross the line; or he’s uncertain. The third situation is the tricky one. Rejer, and no doubt virtually all referees would agree with him, is advising “when in doubt, do nothing.” Except that “doing nothing” is not an option here. By choosing not to make a call, the referee is making a decision. And once again, as far too often in refereeing, it is a decision that favors defensive play. Why, when the referee cannot say with certainty “what he saw” (that is the ostensibly reasonable criterion cited by Rejer) should he make a negative no-goal call? Because he did not see that the ball was definitely over the line? OK, but he is in doubt, which means that he also did not see that the ball was not over the line. Either decision -- to award a goal or to do nothing -- violates Rejer’s dictum that the referee should only call what he has seen. There is no middle ground here. By choosing to do nothing, the referee is, in fact, saying that he did see that the ball was not over the line. Charitably put, that
is a guess. It is, of course, precisely these impossible moments that have led to the birth of Goal Line Technology. GLT will, in theory, relieve referees of the onus of having to make questionable and negative calls when they’re not clear in their own minds exactly what happened. But the “don’t guess” advice has wide implications. I can be sure that it is widely ignored when we come to the vexed question of simulation. Diving. I know from my own research, and because I have been following and analyzing diving calls ever since the current war on the alleged divers started, that at least 50 percent of these calls are either flat-out wrong, or dubious to an extent that they should not have been made. Simulation calls present an acute problem for referees, because there is an almost personal element to them. When there is simulation -- obvious simulation -the diver is deliberately trying to deceive the referee. No one likes being conned, so it’s understandable that a referee will be quick to punish a player who, in his opinion, is trying to make a fool of him in a crowded stadium. Which leads to referees guessing.... guessing that there was no contact. Far too often the replays show that there was indeed contact -- not necessarily massive, but enough to bring a player down. The referee has guessed; he has got it wrong. He has called a non-existent foul, he has tagged an innocent player as a cheat, and he has failed to punish the real foul. And once again, he has favored defensive play.
I have immense sympathy for referees and the complications of their work. I find most complaints made against referees by players and coaches trivial, often worthless because they’re based on ignorance of the rules, and usually biased. But on this question of simulation I’m allowing the referees no slack at all, because far too often they get it wrong, badly wrong -- and they’re getting it wrong because they’re allowing simulation to get to them as a personal affront, and -- please note Paul Rejer – they’re guessing.
It is a most curious reality that eyewitnesses quite often give the most unreliable sort of evidence. Dangerous evidence, because it is assumed that an eyewitness must be telling the truth. After all, he’s not guessing; he saw. “Don’t guess” and “only give what you see” are honorable guidelines. But they need help. I don’t think soccer refereeing would be possible without a certain amount of guessing. But the guessing should be -- and usually is -educated, expert, and unbiased guessing.
So expert, in fact, that it’s excusable to call it something less opprobrious. Understanding, perhaps. The sort of thing that an experienced referee feels, knows instinctively, when he can’t be sure he’s seen. I’d rate it a key skill in the making of a good Referee.
The Death of a Referee: Make it an Hour of Silence By Mike Woitalla “The yells and insults from the sideline from the parents make kids more violent.” -- Utah referee Pedro Lopez, the brotherin-law of 46-year-old referee Ricardo Portillo, who died after being punched by a 17-year-old goalkeeper. In addition to working as an editor of Soccer America my whole adult life, I have been a player, fan, referee, youth coach and soccer dad. I love the sport. I even like the smell of my daughter’s shin guards, which my wife wants left on the porch. (Apparently I suffer from Proustian Phenomenon, where a smell triggers a memory). During the last decade I’ve grown even fonder of soccer because I’ve been involved in the youth game. Watching youngsters explore the joys of the sport is simply delightful and makes one appreciate soccer even more when watching it played brilliantly at the highest levels. But there’s something about soccer -- all sports, in fact -- that I loathe. And it’s that, for some reason, it brings out behavior in adults that would not be
tolerated in any other setting. At the professional level, coaches wearing suits on the sideline throw tantrums that would embarrass a toddler’s parents. Adult fans sitting next to children in a stadium yell obscenities at the top of their lungs. (Just one example that really bothered me recently: In Azteca Stadium in March -- you probably heard this yourself if you watched it on TV – tens of thousands of fans chanting a horribly offensive slur at Brad Guzan each time he took a goal kick.) But worst of all are the adults screaming from the sidelines at youth games. Whether it’s the coaches or the parents -- what on earth makes otherwise civilized people believe that it’s acceptable to invade children’s playtime in such a way? One can’t imagine an adult screaming at children on a playground but this is tolerated when they’re playing soccer. If you think your kid unfairly got a bad grade, you might discuss it with the teacher -but come into the classroom screaming and you may just get arrested. Yet usually well-mannered adults go raving mad at
referees in front of children. I watch many, many games, from youngsters in the park to the very top level with the world’s best referees. And I have discovered that the frequency at which referees make incorrect or questionable calls averages out about the same per game at every level. Why in the world would you expect a referee -- very often a teenager -- at the youth level to whistle a perfect game when the refs of the EPL, the World Cup, MLS, etc., can’t pull it off? Besides, criticism from the parents and coaches is usually so biased, plus they’re generally not in a good spot to see the incident, that it’s very often wrong. Our league, NorCal, has quite rightly called for a minute of silence before all the games this weekend. I say, for the adults, let’s stay silent the entire game, every weekend. Sit back, relax, and relish the sights and sounds of children playing a wonderful sport. You’ll find it’s more enjoyable for everyone when there’s no screaming.
InsideSOCCER 31
BEHIND THE WHISTLE
FRUSTRATION! BY MIKE KENNY, EDITOR OF CAN-SO-REF MAGAZINE
In the Sept./Oct. 2013 edition of Inside Soccer Magazine, my brother Dave – who writes the Coaches column, spoke about the frustration of being a coach. In this edition of Behind the Whistle, I want to speak about the frustration of being a Referee. Three incidents occurred during the season, which have left me frustrated. First, there’s the registration process with the OSA. In the Spring, I tried to register as an OSA referee, which must be done online. When this was rejected I made enquiries as to why, the OSA staff informed me that I have not been a registered referee since 2009. This, despite the fact that they made me an OSA Referee Instructor in 2011. When I enquired about resolving this computer glitch, I was told I would have to take the Entry Level Course again - a course I can instruct. Staff then informed me that a letter from the club I refereed for in 2011 would solve this glitch. That letter was submitted. Then I was told that I would need a letter from the Irish Football Association (IFA), explaining my referee work during the 2011 season in Northern Ireland. Then this could be processed as a transfer. If anyone knows the history of Northern Ireland, the country closes for most of July, and when work resumes in August, preparations begin for their season in which soccer is played, winter. I eventually received the letter from Alan Snoddy, Director of Referees at the IFA, and a former World Cup Referee, at the end of August. I was then expected to register and pay $95 despite the fact the season was ending, and had lost practically a whole season… Frustrating. Question – Why do referees have to pay to register and coaches do not? The second incident that left me frustrated this year was when I attended 32 October/November 2013
the launch of the OPDL. Throughout the press conference a lot was made of coach and player development, of which I am supportive. However, there was no mention of referee development at all, until I asked. My question, in a nutshell, was if players are paying this kind of money to play in this high performance league, they would expect to have high performance referees. How are referees expected to step into that environment when everything U-12 and below is non competitive? The answer from the TD was that competitive games would still be played but that scores and standings would not be recorded under LTPD. The problem with that is that refereeing a meaningless game where scores are not kept is very different from refereeing a Cup Final or a match where a league title is on the line. The intensity level for players, coaches and parents is very different and we are expecting these young referees to step in the OPDL and highly perform? My other concern was that in this process of setting up the OPDL, I do not believe referees were consulted. At the launch of OPDL, following my question, it was stated that the Referee Development Committee (RDC), was currently putting a program together. In my opinion, that should have been included from the get-go. The Ontario Soccer Referees Association (OSRA) was not asked to have a representative on that committee… Frustrating!
Question: Why were referees not included from the start? Thirdly, the frustration was compounded further when recently I attempted to attend the AGM of Newmarket Soccer Club (NSC). As many of you may be aware, the NSC is in financial straits, which the current board is working through. I tried to attend as President of the York Region Soccer Referee Association (YRSRA) because many referees were not paid for 2013. Upon arrival at the AGM, I was informed that as of 2010 under the constitution of NSC, referees were no longer members of that club and therefore no longer able to attend the AGM even to observe and provide feedback, information or opinion. Why do clubs and associations not want comment or feedback from the one person who is in the middle of the game enforcing the laws of the game set out by FIFA?... Frustrating! In conclusion, what my frustration is about concerns the exclusion currently imposed on referees. From registration, commentary and input for future needs and requirements, Referees are being excluded at all levels from the basic involvement at club and association level. All this at a time when the OSA is saying it is changing the atmosphere of administrative decision making.
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COACH DAVE: MY CORNER
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO
COMMON SENSE? BY DAVE KENNY In a previous issue of Inside Soccer Magazine, I spoke of dealing with a frustrating season, learning from it and putting it behind me. I also mentioned that one of my team’s pre-season goals was to win a tournament. I am happy to announce that we did finally achieve our goal by claiming victory in the Brossard Challenge Cup in Brossard, Quebec in August. Ironically, it is a tournament we were almost not able to attend. A month prior to the tournament, we received a notification from the Ontario Soccer Association that our travel permit had been cancelled due to the suspension of the Quebec Soccer Federation (QSF) by the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) - QSF had decided that the FIFA ruling of players wearing turbans was not clear and it, therefore, had the right to ban them in games in Quebec. Even Quebec Premier, Pauline Marois, got involved by backing QSF’s decision. A FIFA ruling put an end to it. The CSA was correct to sanction the provincial association as QSF was acting contrary to CSA rules. The QSF tried to pass the issue off as a safety concern. I have coached players who wore turbans or other head covers and I have played against players who did the same. I have never seen a player gain any advantage by wearing a religious head cover. Nor have I ever seen a player injured or an injury caused by using headwear. I knew the standoff would be solved prior to the tournament, but more importantly, I knew (or at least I hoped) common sense would prevail. There were other events this year that made me wonder 34 October/November 2013
what has happened to common sense. Many years ago, I studied the FIFA Law Book and passed my referee exam. My instructor at the time stressed the importance of “the 18th Law.” Those of you who know the FIFA Law Book will know that there are actually only 17 laws in the rules of soccer. The 18th law is common sense. Common sense is supposed to be used in conjunction with all of the other rules of the game. The “Rules” of soccer are actually made up of the 17 laws of the game and a number of decisions made by a FIFA board or other local governing bodies, who review the laws on an ongoing basis. The rules regarding player equipment is one of those areas where I think common sense is beginning to disappear. The basic equipment for a player is a shirt, shorts, socks, footwear and shin protection. It is left up to each individual referee to determine what additional equipment he or she will allow. For example, some referees allow knee braces; some refs will allow players to wear their shirts outside their shorts while others require shirts to be tucked in. (Remember, for a few years, refs would make you leave the field if your shirt was hanging out or your socks were not pulled up?) One of the rulings I do not understand is the ruling on players’ jewellery. Referees are ultimately responsible for the safety
of the players and as a result, almost all referees now require ALL jewellery be removed. This is supposed to be for the protection of all players. On the surface, this makes sense - I understand the worry that a bulky ring could be used as a weapon during a fight or a dangling ear ring could be ripped from a lobe, but what about flat wedding bands or stud ear or nose rings. Common sense tells me that taping ears or fingers should be adequate protection for all players. I have noticed that professionals are allowed this option but for some reason the rest of us are not. What ever happened to the rule of pre-game boot inspection? I have not had players have their boots checked before a league game in, at least, a decade. In fact, I had forgotten all about it until the Brossard tourney where a check of studs and shin pads occurred before every game. Recently, the latest peeve with equipment has involved wristbands. No more sweatbands, string friendship bracelets or charity rubber fundraising items. The concern here is that another player could catch a finger in the bracelet and receive a hand injury. Using the same logic, shirts should NOT be required to be tucked in the shorts. A player COULD catch a finger in the exposed elastic waistband of the shorts just as easily as getting it caught on the elastic of a wristband. Whose common sense is coming out here? I understand administrators would prefer to err on the side of caution but I have had to cut friendship bracelets off the wrist of players where I could barely slide a small pair of scissors under the string. If I could not get a pair of scissors in, common sense tells me that another player’s finger is unlikely to get caught. Taping the wrist adornment would have been a lot easier than dealing with the tears of the 12- year old who broke the bond with a friend. To prove how ridiculous the wristband policy is, let me cite the following example. In three tournaments this year, including “The Robbie” and Brossard, part of the registration process included the players and team staff wearing tournament wristbands. These were to be worn for the duration of the tournament and removal would result in suspension from play or a financial charge to replace. In
one tournament these wristbands were hard plastic with no stretch, and were kept in place by a plastic snap fastener. Apparently, wristbands are acceptable for tournaments but not league play. To emphasize this, upon our return from Brossard, I noticed a few of our players hadn’t removed the wristbands, wanting to keep them as a reminder of their success. Before the coin was tossed to start the game, two players were told by the referee to remove the bands or they would not be permitted to play. When asked why they were ok in the tourney but not the next game, I couldn’t give the players a response.
I was around the age of 17 when shin protection became mandatory. For me, it was not an issue as I always had worn shin pads anyway. (The one game, as a 15- year old, I decided NOT to wear shin protection was the game I broke my tibia.) Some players had a difficult time adjusting to the extra equipment. We had a couple of players on my team who played in the “George Best” style with socks around their ankles. I remember one player limiting his new found discomfort by using the smallest pair of shin pads I had ever seen. My cell phone is larger than what this player wore for protection. Shin protection is
still mandatory but there is no definition of what is required. A rolled up sock or a folded copy of Inside Soccer can be considered shin protection. I would not recommend this, but the rules do not exclude it. Shin injuries are far more likely to occur in a game of soccer than a finger getting caught on an earring. Why are the referees and governing boards more concerned about a player wearing jewellery than they are about a possible broken leg? Where is the common sense in that?
DRILL OF THE MONTH: “WORLD CUP” World Cup is a drill that can be used for any age group. It is a shooting drill with lots of goal scoring.
SET UP • Use half of the field that you play on • Divide players into equal groups of 2 or 3 per team and distinguish each with different colour pinnies, if possible • Give each team a “World Cup” team name i.e. Brazil, Italy etc
to the next round and step out of play • As each team qualifies for the next round, they too step out of play
• Allow the players to score inside the penalty area if they use their heads
• The last team, or team that does not score is eliminated from the World Cup
• If too many goals are being scored (especially after adding extra balls) add an extra GK or coach to defend the net
• The second round begins with all qualifying teams back on the field and the Goalkeeper begins play as previously done
• One net, one goalkeeper and one ball to start
• One team is eliminated each round until the last two teams create a “final.” When one team scores they will be World Cup Champions
• Keep additional balls inside the net to be used later
COACHING POINTS
START
• Encourage players to shoot when the opportunity exists- do not over-dribble
• Each team must have all their members outside the penalty area (18 yard box)
• Encourage players to switch the play to keep possession
• Goalkeeper starts play by kicking or throwing the ball into a neutral area
• Ensure players are calling for the ball or helping teammates by shouting “Man on” etc
• Each team must work, against all other teams, to gain possession
THE GAME
• Ensure proper shooting technique is being used
• Once a team gains possession of the ball, it attempts to score against the keeper
• Encourage players to defend with proper technique but remember THIS IS A SHOOTING DRILL so do not take away all the shots
• Shots must be taken from outside the penalty area
VARIATIONS
• If shots miss the net, the GK kicks another ball into play
• If players are not getting enough shots, have the GK add more balls into play
• Once a team scores, they are through
• Minimize the number of touches
5 February/March 2012
before a shot must be taken
WHY THIS WORKS • Players love this game • Players learn to make quick decisions as to pass or shoot • Once extra balls are added, players will be forced whether to defend or attack and will learn to make a quick transition from one to the other • Players learn to shoot with minimal touches • Communication improves as player become very vocal • If you use half the field on which players normally play it will be an appropriate size for this drill.
WARNING • It is important that teams are not off the field for an extended period, especially the first team eliminated • Keep them involved as ball boys or assisting the GK with kicking balls into play • If a coach is playing as an extra GK, he can keep the game going by letting in a few “soft” goals InsideSOCCER 35
LIKA SPORTS A Canadian Company on the Rise! If you’re looking for high quality, Canadian soccer equipment and uniforms, you don’t have to look far to find Lika Sports.
BY Armen Bedakian The kit manufacturer once known as DK Sports is on the rise under the name Lika Sports. For the company president and former Montreal Impact player, Phil Ionadi, his company is a memorable part of his childhood. He, along with many of the current employees of this Canadian Sports apparel company, once donned the soccer shirts created by Dominion Knitting when he played youth soccer. “My first soccer jersey, which was 34 years ago, was Dominion Knitting,” said Ionadi, who played for Dixie Soccer Club as a child. “A lot of people’s first jerseys were Dominion Knitting. Mr. Khan was the first person to bring soccer jerseys to us!” Barkat Khan founded his company 35 years ago under the name Dominion Knitting. The company focused on 36 October/November 2013
Photographs by Lewko Hryhorijiw producing soccer shirts but soon revolutionized the equipment industry, providing house league clubs with full gameday attire including shirts, shorts and socks. Khan began selling his soccer equipment, “mostly through sporting goods stores,” though he has fond memories of some other avenues of sales. When asked what his best memory was of local soccer, Khan says he most enjoyed “doing trade shows organized by the Ontario Soccer Association.” Running a small company isn’t easy, but all those years ago, Khan made it happen – he says the biggest challenge he faced was “doing business with little money in a small but highly competitive market.” Mr. Khan now passes the torch to Ionadi and his partner, Joe Pavicic. Pavicic
is the highly accomplished president of Likro Precision Ltd., one of the premier aerospace manufacturing companies in Canada. Born and raised in the region of Lika, Croatia, Pavicic felt the name Lika would be a perfect fit for their new company. Lika, derived from the Greek word Likos, meaning wolf, is incorporated into the company’s logo. What gives Lika Sports the competitive edge? A passion for the game. “At the end of the day, we’re soccer people,” said Ionadi. “Everyone that’s working with our company right now played the game at a high level. Whether it is at a professional level, provincial level, or university level, most of our employees have that background of the game. We know what we like and what we want, so that gives us an edge in developing new products that are comfortable and that people will enjoy and use to maximize their performance.” Soccer people, indeed! The staff at Lika Sports include some recognizable names, such as former AS
From left to right: Orlin Chalmers, Joanna Alexopulos, and Phil Ionadi are taking Lika Sports to new heights Cannes and Canadian U17 international Orlin Chalmers. “I knew Phil for a while, for quite some time. The soccer community is very small so you kind of gravitate towards the players that are of quality. Playing against him and playing for him eventually at the CSL, it was a good relationship that we created. Somehow we kept tabs on each other throughout,” said Chalmers. His career in France came after playing his youth soccer in Canada, wearing the shirts created by Khan years before. “It was good, it was challenging,” said Chalmers, on his career in Canadian youth soccer. “My father was my coach and he always sought out private training for me as a kid. I played at Chingacousy S.C – at the time, it was called Chingacousy S.C, now it’s Brampton East. From there, I moved over to Caledon Soccer Club and then left at 14 [to France].” Do former players give an equipment company a competitive edge? “I think so, because we’ve been in the system, up and down,” said Chalmers. “We know what house league is looking for, we know what rep is looking for, players and coaches. We know what clubs are looking for, and we understand what players want. I personally prefer light fabric - - tight, not loose, so you get more of a professional feel to the game with Lika equipment.” Joanna Alexopulos knows all about the equipment side of the company. As a former player herself, Alexopulos now oversees the office side of Lika Sports, handling orders and paperwork, but it’s her soccer background that makes her – and the rest of Lika Sports – a highquality company. “I played for Dixie growing up, going from house league all the way to rep,” said Alexopulos. “I didn’t know until I started working for Lika that Dominion Knitting had made many Dixie jerseys. So, when I
went back home to check, I saw that my jerseys actually said Dominion Knitting! That was kind of cool. You do something your whole life and you don’t even really realize it, and it just brings it so much closer to home. You appreciate it so much more because it’s something you had your whole life.” Alexopulos played for the provincial team from 14-18 years old and captained the Ontario provincial team for two years. Afterwards, she earned a scholarship to the University of Memphis, before switching to Humber College. With Humber, she captained the women’s side for three seasons. She believes that having a soccer background at the company’s core gives them an advantage.
“I think it makes that much of a difference because you understand all the facets of it,” said Alexopulos. “I know everything from what you’re supposed to wear, positions, colour of jerseys, who plays who… it just gives you a better foundation.” “You can relate to your customers more,” said Alexopulos. “They ask, a lot of the times, for your opinion and with that background you’re able to provide your opinion of what you think looks best, what you recommend in terms of packages available and the differences between rep and house league and the CSL level.” Another big part of Lika Sports’ success comes from custom design. The company caters to a club’s individual needs, capable of producing custom kits and apparel with embroidered logos,
colour schemes and designs. Lika Sports sees a great opportunity for growth, as there are over 1.8 million people playing soccer in Canada. With that said, Lika Sports continues to develop and grow. The company’s product line primarily focuses on soccer, but with a new line of winter coats and general sportswear, Lika Sports is now looking to expand its operations. The company’s current location is almost at capacity, and Ionadi is looking for some new digs that can facilitate their growth. Lika Sports is also launching a new line of soccer nets, which conform to the standards of Long Term Player Development, an initiative that is being implemented throughout the province and focuses on the development of fundamental skills from a young age onward. Most important, however, is Lika Sports commitment to giving back to the community. Lika Sports recently sponsored an event in Brampton with Sports Alliance, one of many initiatives to give back to the community. Ionadi spoke of the need to be involved with the soccer community around them. “How do we give back to the game? That’s a key element of what we’re trying to do,” said Ionadi. “Coaching conferences, bringing international coaches in, supporting programs, we look at giving back to communities, which is very important to us.” “It’s not only about us, it’s about sharing,” concluded Ionadi. “Partnership means we both benefit.” You can check out Lika Sports’ products, where you can find everything from soccer equipment and winter attire for men, women and kids, online on their official website, www.likasports.com.
InsideSOCCER 37
The future of the game IN
Atlantic Canada
Indoor, outdoor, turf burn or squeaky gym floors?
38 October/November 2013
BY Laoghan Hendra
I was in Grade 5 the first time I played soccer indoor. Shin pads made of foam, knee pads to protect against floor burn, and tennis shoes because I didn’t know any better. Style nightmare? Sure, but I felt like a million bucks. The tournament was in the highland heart of Nova Scotia, Antigonish, proud home of the Celtics. Following my brother Cuilean’s lead, we had cobbled together a 10-player team: a motley assortment of our elementary school friends from grades 4, 5, and 6. Cuilean, ever the organizer, signed us up, appointed our father head coach, and rounded up player fees. Entering the noisy Dr. J. H. Gillis Regional High School gym, a handful of country kids playing for the tiny Acadian village of Pomquet, we were ready but nervous. The odds were against us, but I don’t think we cared much. We were too excited. First whistle, the ball moved quickly. The game was fast; the shoes squeaked. It was a different pace and feel than pitched soccer, but we adjusted and our team did well. We surprised sides that, I think, expected to thrash us. At end of day, we had reached the tournament final. I can’t recall life events as clearly as I’d like to, but I do remember one moment as if it were yesterday. With time winding down in the championship match against cross-county rival St. Josephs, we were tied nil-nil. Shifting on the fly, we were trying to keep legs fresh. With a few precious minutes left, we got a free kick. I remember waving an older teammate away. I wanted this kick. I saw my brother setting up for a far-post run, and I hoped my kick would go there too. It did. Back of the net! Cuilean scored. We pressed until the final whistle and, moments later, the tournament was ours. At that age, in that moment, our victory meant the world to us. We felt like kings. For young boys and girls playing the
beautiful game, moments like that matter. I think that memory speaks volumes to the potential of soccer to cement itself in Canada as a year-round sport, as it is in the rest of the world. It provides hope, as well, to rural communities like mine that the sport can remain affordable and accessible while still producing athletes who can play at a high level. But it’s not a sure thing. As much of urban Canada moves toward expensive turf fields and indoor training facilities, how do teams and clubs in rural Atlantic Canada stretch training into the winter months? How do we show players a path to success when many corners of the region can’t afford the million-dollar price tag of indoor facilities such as you find in Halifax, Moncton, or even my own regional centre of Stellarton, Nova Scotia, a four-hour return drive? Is indoor soccer on hardwood an answer? I asked Shawn George, former AUS all-star with the Cape Breton University Capers and current regional director of the Highland District Soccer Association, why he thought indoor soccer in winter was important. “Providing athletes with an opportunity to get touches on the ball and develop in what most players and parents in Atlantic Canada still consider the “off-season” is so important. Soccer in a gym gives players who love the game a chance to play year-round. For an elite player, or someone striving to become an elite player, it allows the opportunity to continue to develop. It’s also an easy and inexpensive sport to get involved in. All you need is a pair of indoor shoes, shin guards and athletic wear.” But there are challenges with moving the game indoor while the snow flies and George was quick to zero in on the realities of the indoor season. “With any cold-climate area, we overlap with popular
N
a
winter sports like hockey. Facilities are another challenge, as gyms, usually in local schools, are booked for sports such as basketball, volleyball, or badminton.” Is indoor soccer or futsal an answer then, I asked, to making Atlantic Canada more competitive as a soccer region or are turf fields needed? “Futsal is fast-paced game, which helps; however, you have to look at what you want your program to achieve. Futsal may not develop a player’s first touch the way you want. A nice mix of futsal and turf for the winter is ideal. Regular balls on a turf field will build touch, as the ball bounces more, while playing futsal or indoor soccer fosters better decision-making and movement on and off the ball.”
It seems the answer is that we need both, but did Shawn have a preference? “It’s always good to have indoor turf, but my first choice would be to build an outdoor turf field, with anchors to attach a dome for winter-play. That way, you get outdoor turf in summer, indoor fullsized turf in winter. Hey, a fella can dream, can’t he?” I asked if Shawn had similar fond memories of indoor training as our interview wrapped up. “I was lucky enough to have a coach who would get the gym at the end of March. We would run training sessions and play 4- and 5-aside soccer. The energy was electrifying and gave us a chance to prepare for the upcoming outdoor season. But having an indoor turf
facility when I was a kid would have been exciting, too.” I felt the same. We were always envious of Halifax clubs when we went city-side to play, and saw the quality of turf fields and indoor facilities. Fast forward twenty years and little has changed. I asked my Fundy United U-14 players to share a highlight from this past summer season and the majority mentioned an early-morning match in the fog against a Saint John team on the UPEI turf field. Reflecting on my own experiences and on Shawn’s insights, it seems the solution for small communities lies in using what we already have, gymnasiums and precious gym time, and in accessing more distant turf training centres when we can. Over the past year, I’ve experienced this first hand. I now live, teach and coach in Amherst, Nova Scotia. The historic town is a larger centre by East Coast standards, but it doesn’t have the soccer infrastructure that a smaller university town like Antigonish now does: two outdoor turf fields and a number of quality grass pitches. Though our outdoor programs produce skilled teams that compete well at the provincial level, soccer is still growing here. We don’t and can’t field elite sides. I’m hoping that indoor soccer may be part of the solution. At least it can’t hurt. I’ve already made a start. Last year, I introduced indoor soccer to 30 Grade 7 students at my middle school, one evening a week. We made it fun and announced player accomplishments over the school PA. I even created an alter-ego, Leonardo Hendru, Romanian international soccer superstar, so I could ham it up and show the kids how to celebrate goals. I didn’t coach; all they did was play. And over five months they improved dramatically, all on their own. In May, the transition from indoor to outdoor was relatively painless. They didn’t have to play catch-up. It was a modest beginning, but you have to start somewhere. This year, we’re expanding.
Laoghan Hendra (second from the left front row), and brother Cuilean Hendra (middle front row) won an indoor tournament as kids. Both are sharing their knowledge of indoor soccer in Atlantic Canada InsideSOCCER 39
TORONTO FC
TCF DEFENDERS TALK OFFUTSAL
BENEFITS
BY ARMEN BEDAKIAN
Photographs by Les Jones – Covershots Inc.
Ronaldinho, Xavi, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo; for soccer fans, these are some of the biggest names in the history of the sport. Yet, each of these players got their start playing indoors, whether it is through indoor football leagues or by playing futsal. Indoor soccer has also benefitted Toronto FC. Doneil Henry and Gale Agbossoumonde are two young central defenders with Toronto FC, and both played indoor football growing up. The two defenders have featured in plenty of games for Toronto FC this season and show all the composure and technical ability for which indoor soccer defenders are known. InsideSOCCER Magazine spoke with both Henry and Agbossoumonde about their experiences playing indoor soccer. “I played for two clubs in my life; Brampton Bullets and North Mississauga Panthers,“ said Henry. “I played indoor at the Hershey’s Centre when I was about 40 October/November 2013
14 through 16 with North Mississauga and when I played in Brampton, I played at Ken Child’s. It’s the same league, just indoor, in the Ontario Indoor Soccer League, OISL.” “In the offseason, when I go home, Syracuse has a professional indoor team and I train with them every single day,” said Agbossoumonde. “I enjoy it actually; it’s a lot of fun. It’s a lot of running and it keeps you fit.” Indoor soccer is a different game, one that encourages the development of different kinds of skills from its outdoor counterpart. It’s an experience that has shaped these two defenders in their careers. “It’s very tight spaces, you have to be good on the ball,” said Agbossoumonde. “You can’t really play long ball. You have to be good with the ball.”
Agbossoumonde is a central defender, a position he also takes up when he plays indoor. When asked what he takes from indoor soccer to apply for his style of play with Toronto, Agbossoumonde highlighted the heightened level of focus. “You have to be composed. You can’t panic, because there’s always people around you on the opposing team,” said Agbossoumonde. “If you panic, you’re going to kick it but you’ll kick it back to them, so that’s the main thing - you can’t
panic, you’ve got to be composed. Indoor soccer helps tremendously with that. “You can see it in my game, I don’t like to panic. Apart from that, I like to get on the ball and pass it as opposed to playing a 50-50 ball,” Agbossoumonde continued. “It’s a lot more technical,” added Henry. “Some of the guys who are better outdoors are not as good indoors, they need a little bit more space to play but I think it’s really good to work on your technique, 1 v 1 and pressing. “You can tell looking at Ronaldinho, this is the kind of football they’re playing from a young age and I think it really benefits them,” Henry continued. Ever hungry for playing time, Henry’s only criticism of indoor soccer was in its rulebook: “The only thing I didn’t like about it was it was too short – 25 minute halves, I didn’t like that!” said Henry. During his days playing indoor soccer, Henry developed some crucial skills, which are now on full display for Toronto FC, including the ability to control the ball with an experienced touch. “When I played indoor soccer I usually played in a 2-1-2 formation and played in the middle of the park,” he explained. “I wasn’t really playing defender unless
Doneil Henry played his youth indoor soccer with the Brampton Bullets and North Mississauga Panthers
they needed me to. I loved it! I got a lot of touches on the ball and I think it benefitted me now.” For these two, indoor soccer and futsal have been important tools in their development, and the pair are quick to sing the praises of the sport. “Indoor soccer, I don’t want to say is more fun, but… it’s kind of more fun!” said Agbossoumonde. “The ball doesn’t really go out of bounds, you play with the wall, it’s tiki-taka and I enjoy it a lot. I find that fun.” “I recommend Futsal for every single child playing the game, especially to work on technique,” said Henry. “I think
it’s so important and vital.” Henry, 20, has played with Toronto FC since 2010 and has become a Canadian international in the process. Agbossoumonde, 21, joined Toronto FC in 2013 after spending time in Germany and Portugal. The two Toronto FC defenders showed off their skills with style when they started together in the centre of defence against D.C. United, a game Toronto won 4-1. Their careers in football have just begun, and it’s due, in part, to their time playing the beautiful game indoors, before stepping onto the grass at BMO Field.
Doneil Henry (#4) and Gale Agbossoumonde (#6) are two young central defenders with Toronto FC, and both played indoor soccer growing up InsideSOCCER 41
OZFORTOO STRONG FLORO’S FIDDLERS By Martin Bronstein, Covershots Inc.
When the whistle went for half time at Craven Cottage, home of Fulham FC of the Brit Premiership, Canada had recovered from a dreadful start to give hope for a win at best or a draw at worst. There were 3741 spectators dotted around this cozy 25,000 seat stadium on the banks of the River Thames and they had hardly taken their seats before Australia swept up the right wing, taken and given a clumsy tackle, before centering the ball for Josh Kenney to chip in easily over Canadian keeper Milan Borjan, to put Australia one goal up inside 26 seconds. This is the worst possible start for any team and for the next 20 minutes the red shirts scrambled to cope with Australia’s sure-footed passing, egged on by the confidence that the early goal had given them. It wasn’t all one-way traffic and Canada produced a couple of good attacking moves. Tosain Ricketts was fouled 45 yards out and Mitchell Langerak, the Australian goalkeeper, pulled off the first of many great saves to keep Canada out. Ten minutes later Canada’s captain, Dwayne de Rosario, missed an absolute sitter in front of the goal after a super center from David Edgar. And perhaps it was the lack of precise finishing throughout the match that contributed to the final result. Canada gradually settled down and while Australia may have had the greater 42 October/November 2013
possession, they were being closely marked and hemmed into their own half for long periods. It was Stefan Cebara scooting down the right wing who gave the few Canadian supporters hope as he outpaced the defence and sent in dangerous passes from the corner. Ricketts met one of them with a thunderous header, which should have tied the game 1-1, but once again Langerak rose to the occasion to palm the ball wide. At half time the situation looked good for Canada: they had kept the Australians at bay and now had an offensive strategy down the right wing. (I went for a bite to eat and found the screens in the refreshment area all tuned to the England/Poland World Cup qualifier, which was taking place ten miles away in Wembley Stadium. I was not the least bit surprised that The Times next day carried not one word about the Canada/ Australia match – not even the result). The second half started with Canada forgetting how they had contained their opponents in the first half. Australia’ confidence blossomed and they passed the ball with speed and style to reduce Canada to a scrambling defence. The Canadian right wing attack was nowhere to be seen while Australia’s left wing
forays were a pleasure to watch – fortyyard inch perfect passes that left the Canadian defence in disarray. Australia’s superiority paid off in the 52nd minute when Dario Vidosic, standing a couple of yards from the goalkeeper, cleverly glanced in a header to leave Borjan no chance at all. The Socceroo’s celebration was jubilant - not only for the goal but they knew they had the match sewn up because Canada’s performance – and lack of penetrating offence – was simply not good enough to beat a team that had experienced a disastrous two weeks. Australia had been trounced 6-0, first by Brazil and then by France, results that saw the instant dismissal of coach Holger Osieck. It was left to acting coach Aurelio Vidmar to drag the Aussies out of their depression and play with brio and confidence. This he did and while he didn’t smile once at the press conference, his relief was obvious and he did talk about having a glass of red wine with his boys later. With 12 minutes to go Mathew Leckie leapt to head in the Socceroo’s third goal, merely the icing on the cake. For Canadian coach Benito Floro the problem will be to drum accuracy into the entire team. So many fine moves ended in a bad pass or a wrong decision. But after only two months into the job Floro he has ample time to put his stamp on to Canada’s national team.
This high impact, interactive & engaging event will include Freestyle Clinics & a Freestyle Performance with a unique anti-bullying theme – Freeze Out Bullying! For more information on the event, visit www.calgaryminorsoccer.com. For more information www.freestylesoccer.ca
on
the
performers,
visit
CANADIAN
FUTSAL FLIES FORWARD By Kris Fernandes
Photograph By Kathleen George
With fragmentation often being a central theme in Canadian soccer circles over the years it is refreshing to see a new era emerge for the sport of futsal, FIFA’s official version of indoor soccer.
A pair of U10 boys squads enjoy a game of futsal in Toronto. Futsal Canada essentially started in 2008 as an online news portal dedicated to showcasing domestic and international futsal news. So it was fitting that almost precisely five years to the day after its launch that the next stage in its evolution was established. 44 October/November 2013
Photograph courtesy of FC Edmonton
This past summer saw the first national futsal conference featuring league executives and operators from across the country come together in Toronto over a weekend to lay down the foundation for a membership organization focused on a series of futsal specific initiatives that
will ultimately help build and promote the game. 15 representatives from 11 leagues from four provinces contributed to what was a highly engaging and progressive weekend for the sport. One major initiative coming out being the creation of a true national futsal championship event tentatively slated for late April in 2014 in Montreal. The competition will offer the mens and womens champions from Waterloo, Saskatoon, Regina, Barrie, Kingston, Montreal, Sudbury, Toronto/Mississauga, Hamilton, Ottawa, and potentially Calgary and Edmonton, the opportunity to compete for a national crown. There is also plenty of discussion regarding offering competitions for youth divisions 13 years of age and above. Other vital objectives include the offering of coaching and referee courses, player identification camps, grant and sponsorship development, along with having each respective league play with the FIFA Futsal Laws of the Game. The variations of rules in futsal leagues have long been a nagging issue in the Canadian game and by playing with one well established set of rules will allow for greater cohesion and simplicity for competition and development. With many leagues having played under different affiliations in years past a strong aim will be working towards having each league eventually come under the umbrella of Canadian Soccer Association to ultimately unify and grow the sport. Discussions are already well under way with world class futsal organizations in Brazil and Spain to create strategic partnerships that would tremendously benefit Canadian futsal players, coaches, and referees. Official announcements are expected to come in the first quarter of 2014. Parties interested in joining the association can contact Futsal Canada through their website, www.futsalcanada.ca.
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Monteuil Sparta
The 2013 BMO Team of the Week Champions BY Armen Bedakian You voted, Canada, and here are the results: The 2013 BMO Team of the Week Champion is Monteuil SPARTA from Laval, Quebec. Monteuil Sparta’s U10 Girls team won the grand prize of $125,000 towards a local field refurbishment, a trip to Toronto to see a Toronto FC vs. Montreal Impact game on October 26, 2013 and $5,000 for a charity of the team’s choosing. “I’m extremely proud of the girls and grateful for the incredible support from all the people who voted for us,” said the team’s head coach, Sabatino Andreoni. “We’re excited to share this prize from BMO with the entire community. It will help us upgrade a facility in the Laval region and create a lasting legacy for young athletes.” All across the country, Canadian soccer fans have been voting for one champion, after 15 teams were awarded the BMO Team of the Week title. From Fall River, Nova Scotia to Nanaimo, British Columbia and everywhere in between, youth soccer teams have earned recognition for their spirit, community dedication and support. The first Team of the Week winner was announced on April 17, 2013 and a new winner was chosen every week leading up to the final 15. Voting 46 October/November 2013
began on August 5 and ended on August 19. The final count was announced on September 11. Monteuil Sparta is a shining example of the qualities that the BMO Team of the Week completion hopes to foster: team pride, spirit, community commitment and passion for the game. What worthy winners they are, too! The U10 girls have raised more than $2,500 to support a local charity, Le Club des petits déjeuners du Québec, which provides breakfast and a good learning environment for young children. Combined with the $5,000 donation for winning the competition, a total of $7,500 will be donated to the program. The Cataraqui Clippers from Kingston, Ontario finished in second and the Hollandia Gremio from Saskatoon finished third. They each receive a prize of 20 official team shirts from a Canadian Major League Soccer team of their choosing, or from the Canadian national team. Monteuil Sparta is the third winner of the BMO Team of the Week Champion title. Last year, Ladner Storm from Ladner, British Columbia won the prize.
The year before that, Glen Shields Sun Devils from Vaughan, Ont. took home the inaugural award. “Thank you BMO for this memorable experience and for helping us turn our dream into a reality,” said Monteuil Sparta coach Andreoni.
2013 BMO Team of the Week finalists Monteuil Sparta – Laval, QC Cataraqui Clippers – Kingston, ON Hollandia Gremio – Saskatoon, SK Coastal FC Thunder – Surrey, BC St. Catharines Roma – St. Catharines, ON Aurora Stingers – Aurora, ON Scotia Soccer Club – Fall River, NS Cambridge United – Cambridge, ON Harbour City FC – Nanaimo, BC Scottish United – Edmonton, AB North Vancouver FC Surge – North Vancouver, BC Blizzard Bayern – Calgary, AB Halifax Dunbrack – Halifax, NS FC Brossard – Brossard, QC Red Deer Renegades – Red Deer, AB
Congratulations to Monteuil Sparta U10 Girls - the 2013 BMO Team of the Week Champions!
WE CONTINUE THE QUESTION... COACH DAVE:TOMYASK CORNER
How TO Make SOCCER
EVEN BETTER? OPDL Decisions Miss the Mark BY DAVE KENNY The announcement by the Ontario Soccer Association that 18 clubs had been selected to compete in the inaugural season of the Ontario Player Development League (OPDL) was a blow to a large population of the Ontario soccer community.
WINTER & SPRING
SOCCER SCHOOL REGISTER TODAY
48 October/November 2013
On the eve of the OPDL announcement, the Ontario Soccer Association (OSA) Board of Directors decided to exclude for-profit academies from the new league, thereby destroying the goodwill that had developed this past season. After fighting against the academies for years, the OSA had accepted the academies as members. Academies that had applied to the OPDL were informed that the Board had made a decision to exclude them all, except Toronto FC Academy. (I find it hard to believe that Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, TFC owners, are not-for-profit supporters.) The fallout of the decision was instant. The Soccer Academy Alliance Canada held a meeting to coincide with the OSA press conference to decide its next moves. In addition, the Youth Soccer League of Ontario (YSLO) sent out notification that it would immediately be moving forward with its plan to offer membership driven development programs in terms of training, competition and opportunities. The goal is to provide players to university scholarship programs and/or Pro Academy trials. The OSA is apparently afraid of YLSO since it had previously notified clubs that the fledgling YSLO has received no sanctioning from the OSA. If YLSO operates outside of the OSA, there could be a groundswell of support. Academies should follow as well as a number of small clubs, which already do not register their house league players. The exclusion of the academies from OPDL resulted in the resignation of Jason de Vos from the OSA Technical Advisory Council (TAC). TAC was established in 2011 to create a new competition structure for youth soccer in Ontario. TAC principles dictated that the “needs of the player should be put first in all decisions” and that non-profit and for-profit programs should be included. As De Vos stated on his website (www.jasondevos.com): “The reason for my resignation from TAC is quite simple. I cannot, in good conscience, continue to put my time and effort into an advisory council… whose advice is disregarded and whose thoroughly researched recommendations are willfully ignored by the OSA’s board of directors. The decision to defeat RFD 2013-009 is simply wrong. Not one person – let alone an OSA board member – has been able to provide…a justifiable reason to exclude private academies from the OPDL. In fact, excluding academies from the OPDL completely contradicts the guiding principles upon which the league was created.”
In addition to rejecting all academy players, the OPDL has offered little to players who live outside the large population zones of Ontario. York Region will have eight teams in the league and Ottawa will have four. The balance will be made up of two teams in Toronto, one east of Toronto (Whitby), two in the Hamilton area and one in London. Why do teams in York Region need the OPDL? If eight clubs are committed to player development to the degree these clubs appear to be, why don’t they just reform the York Region Soccer League? Why do they need to travel to Ottawa? Why do they need to pay $9,000 in registration fees per team (and clubs MUST operate a girls’ and boys’ team – only TFC is exempt from the girls’ program) to the OSA? Only TFC is exempt from operating a girls’ program. The teams accepted will provide the OSA with over $300,000 in registration fees. The bottom line is this. With the exception of the four teams in the Ottawa region, all teams are within a two hour drive of the Ontario Soccer Centre (Vaughan). There is nothing for players living in Northern Ontario. There is nothing for players in Windsor, Kingston or Kitchener-Waterloo. Since Provincial Team players will be selected from the OPDL pool (scouts and coaches will be attending OPDL events), players outside Toronto will be forced to leave home, at a younger age, if they hope to play at the highest level. Forcing a 13 year old to leave his hometown to pursue an opportunity to play for the provincial team certainly does not put the player first. The OPDL fall out has started. As winter descends upon Ontario, the question will be how much the momentum continues. The look of soccer in Ontario could be very different next summer. Unfortunately it could be for all the wrong reasons. The views expressed are strictly those of the author and do not in any way represent those of InsideSOCCER Magazine.
It’s time to
get real! by Bill Condy
On September 25, 2013, Jason De Vos, a respected alumnus of the Canadian Men’s National Team and a soccer journalist, announced his resignation from the Ontario Soccer Association’s Technical Advisory Council. He did this in reaction to the defeat of the advisory group’s proposed legislation to allow soccer academies to enter teams in the new advanced Ontario Player Development League (OPDL). Jason and other members of TAC have been very scathing in their attacks on the OSA Board of Directors. What follows is open letter from a former “Old Boy” who contributed close to 30 years to soccer governance. Dear Jason, I’m sorry to see that you have resigned from the OSA Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). I believe you are an honest broker, but had you known the full story, you might have stayed on. Then again, you might never have joined. Seven years ago, it was recognised that players were being damaged by poaching and excessive travel and were not receiving sufficiently advanced coaching in the existing league structure. It was decided that we needed a new advanced league. This league would be populated through player movement (tryouts and scouting) with no promotion or relegation of teams. It was decided to not involve existing clubs and academies but rather, franchises would be established in Districts, and multi Districts and individuals from clubs and academies would group together and form new
clubs specifically for the new league. These new clubs would apply to the OSA to fill these franchises, which would be evenly distributed across the province with “operating territories.” It was also decided that coaching and other technical standards needed to be established and the coaching community was to be heavily consulted. The only thing left open, was whether the model should be “not-for–profit” or “for profit”. Unfortunately, as the current Board leadership came into power, there developed an atmosphere where it seemed more important to establish; “who got the credit,” rather than “what got accomplished,” so the whole project was restarted, and the TAC was formed. There were four problems from the start. 1) A significant number of TAC members had already made pejorative public statements about the OSA Board and its members. 2) TAC members did not understand that they had no real power and were simply present in an advisory position. 3) The OSA has no real direct legal authority over the people who play the game. 4) Finally, the Board leadership would be manipulating the flow of information and see to it that the Board was kept largely in the dark. InsideSOCCER 49
For example, the Board was never given a chance to “sign-on” to TAC’s “Guiding Principles.” Another case in point was the rejecting of the academies from participating in the OPDL. Right from the beginning (2011), when deliberations included the “for-profit” part of the game, it would have made sense to have the Board change the “Conditions of Association” for academies. Consequently, a significant number of board members felt that this last minute legislation was an old OSA trick and resented it. Members also rightly questioned the logic of taking applications from academies when they couldn’t qualify under the existing rules. This was the mindset of many Board Members. All the while, the leadership you seem to hold in such high esteem was assuring you everything would be fine. Your indignation over the vote results seems to be based on: “...the OSA Board ignored its own Advisory Group.” The TAC was never a Board Committee. In its terms of reference, TAC was put in place to advise the Technical Director (Alex Chiet) who can only propose policy, not set it. This is why it would have been singularly important to keep Board members fully informed through the process. However, if it had been the intention to make TAC more than an “Advisory” group and for it to have some legislative authority, then many of its members would not have been able to serve due to conflicts of interest. Finally, when you put together a group made up almost exclusively of theorists and philosophers, you tend to get unrealistic results. I’m surprised there wasn’t a TAC “Little Red Book.” Maybe it would have been better had there been a little less technical philosophy and a little more governance practicality. So now let’s look at the OPDL. Is the league all-inclusive? As I understand it, nine academies applied and the selection committee could recommend only one; which of course means that the Board decision actually only turned back one recommendation. With all this passion to include academies, why was there such a poor showing? Whatever the reason, the OPDL is not all inclusive. Is the league geographically balanced? With over 50 percent of the teams coming from Ottawa and York Region, the answer is: obviously not. 50 October/November 2013
How can there be a provincial club league that does not include Oakville, Dixie, Erin Mills, North Mississauga, Ajax, Pickering, etc. Do you really expect that these Clubs or Peel Halton District will stand idly-by and watch all their top players go to Kleinberg, Woodbridge, Glen Shields or Vaughan? There’s bound to be a reaction, no matter what the “Guiding Principles” say. Does the league satisfy the needs of the players? With eight clubs concentrated in York region, their coaches will have to search far afield for quality players. Attending practices will result in some 12 and 13 year olds making fourhour round trips, three times a week. Meanwhile, on the field, the clubs in these high concentration districts will be at the mercy of clubs like Burlington, which will have a vast area from which to recruit. Despite the “no promotion and relegation” ideal, do you really think they won’t fight being perennial bottom dwellers? This will bring forward the worst in poaching techniques. Finally, how can there be a provincial club league that does not include Oakville, Dixie, Erin Mills, North Mississauga, Ajax, Pickering, etc.? Do you really expect that these Clubs or Peel Halton District will stand idly-by and watch their top players go to Kleinburg, Woodbridge, Glen Shields or Vaughan? There’s bound to be a reaction, no matter what the “Guiding Principles” say. The worst practices that harm the well-being of the players and the game will remain. I believe the selection committee was honest and competent; however, it could only build within the seriously flawed model. Any league official or governance person could have warned TAC members of this outcome. For that matter, many of them did. I know that a couple of wellintentioned years were spent on this, but it does not change the fact that the OPDL is not ready for prime time.
Lastly, instead of going a step ata-time, TAC tried to impose a complete change in the culture of soccer in Ontario - too much; too fast - and if it all goes forward, it will create a governance nightmare. TAC has done this with the approval of a Board leadership that can’t see past the next election. Many clubs already feel irritated by the OSA’s attempts, without the proper authority, to impose the minutiae of LTPD. Many find the proposed changes to the regional leagues, equally offensive. A significant number of these clubs are already planning to put teams in Bert Lobo’s YSLO or some other alternate league. By-the-way, the leadership of the OSA had assured Bert that regional leagues would not be affected! For many, the regional leagues are the only reason for them to stay as members and there is already considerable musings about leaving the OSA. Now, with the structural problems in the OPDL, I can see an opportunity for someone to develop an advanced league in competition with the OPDL. It’s possible that some of the biggest clubs could choose to leave. So, instead of calling for a destructive round of governance reform and continuing to denigrate governance volunteers who, I remind you, hold the power, it’s time to get real. It’s time to stop listening to self-serving Pied Pipers and start talking to each other ... before it’s too late. Regards, Bill Condy The views expressed are strictly those of the author and do not in any way represent those of InsideSOCCER Magazine.
Congratulations Monteuil Sparta of Laval, QuĂŠbec, BMO Team of the Week 2013 Champion! The Monteuil Sparta have been recognized by their community for their team pride, team spirit, community commitment and passion for the game. They have been awarded $125,000 towards refurbishing their local soccer field, a $5,000 donation to any Canadian charity and a trip to watch a Canadian Major League Soccer or a Canadian National Team home match.
Congratulations, and keep up the good teamwork!
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