Stalteri makes his way back to Germany

Canadian soccer captain Paul Stalteri received an early Christmas present this year… a release from Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend. He then promptly signed with German club Borussia Monchengladbach of the Germany’s Bundesliga.

Stalteri was seeing regular action when he first joined Tottenham from Werder Bremen under the Martin Jol campaign. After a loan stint with Fulham last season, the Toronto native saw his playing time decrease and ultimately without a number and a chance to play under new manager Jaunde Ramos’ regime.

Things improved when Harry Redknapp succeeded Jaunde Ramos, but after picking up an ankle ligament injury sustained November 19th while on international duty for Canada against Jamaica, Paul started to become frustrated.

Stalteri made 35 appearances in his debut season at White Hart Lane in 2005-06, but that number was trimmed to just 14 the next season. In 2007-08, he only made six appearances for Spurs before being loaned out to Fulham where he played weekly. He hasn’t featured at all for Tottenham this season.

Although his play decreased each year, Stalteri feel his England experience wasn’t all bad.

Borussia Monchengladbach has won just three games this season and is last in the 18-team Bundesliga, but after talking with countryman Rob Friend, the squads forward, Stalteri says the decision was an easy one.

Stalteri will join the club on January 3rd to begin training and hopes to be in the squad for Borussia’s first game back after the winter break against VfB Stuttgart on January 31st, 2009.

For the complete interview, download the Full-Time here.

Listen to Full-Time, Vancouver’s Soccer Show with Tyler Green and Mike Martignago on Sunday nights at 10pm on the TEAM 1040.

-TG

The actual draw...

So in reality... we got 1 out of 8 in our draw... here's how it actually went down:


Chelsea v Juventus

Villareal v Panathinaikos

Sporting Lisbon v Bayern Munich

Athletico Madrid v FC Porto

Lyon v Barcelona

Real Madrid v Liverpool

Arsenal v AS Roma

Inter Milan v Manchester United

Full-Time's Champions League Draw

Last night on Full-Time, Vancouver's Soccer Show, Tyler and I made soccer/football history by drawing the teams LIVE, ON THE AIR, for the knockout round of matches for the UEFA Champions League.

The results were shocking to say the least, with some mouth-watering (Full-Time's word of the day) matchups for the next phase.

While I said we made football history (I like to exaggerate), we're confident that you won't even need to watch or listen to this Friday's draw... because our results are 100% correct.

Thus, the matchups drawn include:

Juventus - Arsenal

Panathinaikos - Villarreal

Bayern Munich - Real Madrid

Liverpool - Lyon

Manchester United - Atletico Madrid

AS Roma - Sporting Lisbon

FC Porto - Chelsea

Barcelona - Inter Milan

After the completion of the formal draw, we'll have no problem accepting any awards and accolades.

Cheers!

-MM

Full Time... returns to the TEAM 1040 airwaves.

It must be said that I am extremely excited about the upcoming weekend in the English Premier League. Arsenal v Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium looks to be, like many times before, a great match-up. However, my excitement has to do more with the prospect of returning to the airwaves on Sunday nights to broadcast the thoughts of two soccer fans. It's true, Mike Martignago and myself are going to be back on the TEAM 1040 airwaves. We shall be back on Sunday evenings at 10pm PT on November 23rd. Looking forward to sharing our thoughts with you again.

-TG

Ramos' reign of idiocy remains at White Hart Lane

Jaunde Ramos has left Tottenham, but his reign is still leaving a mark, especially for Canadian international Paul Stalteri. Spurs' new manager Harry Redknapp has decided that staying in the Premier League is of bigger importance than playing in Europe. This would have been a terrific opportunity for a player that Ramos had sent off to basically die in the reserves get some game action in Europe against quality teams and possibly make his way back into the main squad for a Premiership match. Unfortunately for Paul Stalteri, along with Hossam Ghaly, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Adel Taarabt and Ricardo Rocha - Ramos did not register these players to play in Europe. What this means is that the players that will get to play are reserve players, with some veterans mixed in. The worst part is that if Stalteri was to play, he would have been able to showcase himself and audition for a team that may be looking for a defensive midfielder or defender. It looks as though Ramos' reign of idiocy still remains at White Hart Lane.

-TG

Premier League review at the quarter mark

Well, it was a short stay for Tottenham in the "safe" zone in the Premier League over the weekend. They had moved up, but subsequent wins by Bolton, Wigan and most recently Newcastle really screwed up Spurs. I have no doubt that Harry Redknapp will keep things going in Tottenham, but it's going to be a tougher ride than they may have thought. The biggest key for Spurs will be beating the teams that they are chasing and also shocking the big clubs like they did Liverpool on the weekend.

With a quarter of the season done, thirteen teams are just a win or loss away from being in or out of the relegation zone and that should make things interesting for the entire season. Meanwhile, at the top, the big 4 are starting to separate themselves from the pack yet again. It makes it a bit of a spending contest, but in the end, if Liverpool can start another unbeaten streak and make it to the top 4, it might make for an interesting mix with Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United rounding out the top. However, Liverpool’s past performance doesn’t bode well for their chances. Liverpool started great last season but squandered chances to remain in at the top and, so far, the same can be said for this season – losing to Tottenham in extra time being the perfect example. This season they are constantly coming back from behind, and they don’t look like they will dominate as the season continues. Manchester United got off to a slow start but have finally hit their stride – Berbatov, Rooney and Ronaldo have all been scoring and with a game in hand, a slip up by either Chelsea or Liverpool could spell the title for Man U. Chelsea is the favourite for top place and have been rolling of late. In fact they have only allowed 1 goal in their last 6 games, and that was a 1 - 0 loss to Liverpool. Chelsea has dominated and will likely continue to do so.

Just below the big 4, Hull and Aston Villa were both contending to start the season with big wins and dreams of title glory, but at the quarter mark, Hull are still playing a no fear style, but recently haven’t had what it takes to stay with the big boys losing to both Chelsea and Man U. Aston Villa should be in the top 4 (they currently sit fifth, tied with Arsenal and Hull) but have been so up and down this season that they haven’t been able to put a string of wins together to contend and will likely fade from the pack as the season progresses.

At the bottom, as mentioned, Tottenham have struggled and look to have finally gotten things right with Harry, rallying for 7 points in their last 3 matches. West Brom have played tough, but week in, week out, the Baggies haven't done enough to be a serious threat to march up the table – and giving up 18 goals in 11 games isn't going to help either. Bolton, meanwhile, have shown they have the ability to win, including a great 2 - 0 win against Manchester City, but the Trotters have barely shown any improvement from last season and are on pace to match last years total points. Relegation could be a good bet for the northern club, but with Sunderland, Fulham and Wigan all appearing like they don't want to play in top flight anymore, it could be an interesting battle when it comes down to the final month of the season. Perhaps a more interesting battle at the bottom than the usual top 4 title battle!

-TG

Tony, Harry, Freddie and Stalteri too... the ramblings of TG!

English teacher beware... this is a bit of a single paragraph craziness. It's been quite a week for soccer movers and shakers in the last week. First off, Juande Ramos get fired at Tottenham, seemingly only hours later, Harry Redknapp takes charge of Spurs leaving Portsmouth high and dry and on Monday Tony Adams officially takes over at Portsmouth. Okay... I think that's all the moves. One man is likely not going to get fired this year (other than the big name boys) would be Hull City Manager Phil Brown. With a quarter of the season gone, Hull have 20 points and sit 3rd in the English Premier League table. I would dare say that they could theoretically lose every game they have left and still stay in the English top flight. Spurs should improve with the hiring of Redknapp. It also means that Canadian Paul Stalteri has been given a lifeline to first team action. While playing and training with the reserve squad, Stalteri has been call a "model professional" and that can only show him to be a "team guy". Stalteri has been very kind to me in my professional career and I hope that Tottenham do the same for him. Tony Adams meanwhile has taken the helm for Portsmouth and if anything, it is providing another Englishman a chance at being a Premier League manager, something that is currently lacking in the English game. Here in North America, we could possibly be losing an Englishman, as it appears that David Beckham is on his way to AC Milan on loan from the LA Galaxy. According to published reports, he would be back for the beginning of the MLS Season, but once Beckham gets to Italy, he may not want to return. If it came to buying out his contract, Beckham is one of the few athletes who could buy his own contract out and go to whichever team might have him. Losing one underwear model in the MLS means that another one needs to arrive, so Freddie Ljundberg will be arriving for the 2009 season with the Seattle Sounders F.C.. Just down the I5 from Mike and I in Vancouver. I know Mike already has his Calvin Klein's ready to be autographed. For Seattle, it's a move that soccer fans will respect, a big name that can still compete, especially in the MLS. It also has a little Beckham to it. He's good looking, foreign and models underwear with the best of them... meaning, single Seattle women and soccer moms will also be appearing at the games with the Ljundberg jerseys. A good signing for Seattle, who at present look like they have the buildings of a quality first year team. Ljundberg on the wing or in the middle and former USA National team and Fulham goalkeeper Kasey Keller. He'll provide leadership and a good attitude. I also wouldn't be surprised to see Keller in a coaching role once his playing days are finished. Finally... MLS expansion is getting heated up. 7 teams in the running, people with various ideas on who will get a franchise and who won't. Montreal seems to be everyone's pick as the one city that WILL get a team. The 2nd team is up for debate. I have and will go on record saying again here saying that I would love to see the Whitecaps getting an MLS franchise. Whether they get one will soon be told, but something in the back of mind keeps telling me no. It would be sad for Vancouver, but I can't say that there seems to be an outcry from Vancouver fans wanting to discuss it.

And that's a wrap...

- TG

Stalteri Lives...

The sacking of Juande Ramos by Tottenham Hotspur has most likely made Canadian National Team Captain (and friend of Fulltime, the Football Show) Paul Stalteri a very, very happy man.

Stalteri, who was relegated to the reserves after returning from his loan stint at the end of last season at Fulham, has been drafted back into the first-team by new manager Harry Redknapp.

Stalteri will now wear number 13 (his previous #7 is now being worn by Aaron Lennon). The Canadian is one of five players to get recalled. Hossam Ghaly (#15), Adel Taarabt (#19), Kevin-Prince Boateng (#23) and Ricardo Rocha (#33) have also been given new squad numbers.

While it remains to be seen if Stalteri can actually get on the pitch and contribute, the move will at least give the Canadian some hope as the January transfer window approaches. If it doesn't work out with Redknapp, perhaps Stalteri can finally move to another club and get some first-team football.

In all, Stalteri has appeared 46 times for Spurs, scoring three goals.

-MM

Whitecaps bid for the MLS

The Vancouver Whitecaps, fresh off their 2nd USL-1 Championship in 3 years has officially made their bid for an MLS franchise, the 17th or 18th team in the league. Seven teams have applied for the 2 spots, these include, Vancouver, Portland, St. Louis, Montreal, Ottawa, Miami and Atlanta and the 'Caps have a great chance of succeeding in picking up one of the two, but there are some problems. The league is likely going to grant a team in the east and one in the west in order to keep the league even. Which means it really comes down to Vancouver versus Portland and St. Louis, who would be considered a Western team.

Of the three western based teams, Portland's bid has the possibility of a stadium that can be played in now, and will be renovated, with real grass. The problem in Portland is whether or not the MLS wants the team playing in a multi-sport facility. St. Louis is in need of a stadium, and a question still looms about whether or not the financial backing is all there, since it's a mystery on who the other backers are. In Vancouver, the Steve Nash is the start power, Mallett is the connection to the league having helped the MLS set up a deal with Yahoo and Kerfoot is the main money man. Which of those 3 seem the strongest? Vancouver is definitely the powerhouse out of the three, but could that be one of the problems that Vancouver faces?

The 'Caps are the frontrunner out west, but many claim that Montreal is also a frontrunner in the east, but rumblings out of the MLS office is that they don't want to have two Canadian teams joining the league in the same year. One reason is that is because the MLS and Toronto are already having some problems with the broadcasting rights. No one is the USA wants to see TFC play and Toronto currently don't have a national TV in Canada, which may be fixed if another Canadian team joins the fray. The other problem is that in their 2nd season, TFC have shown very limited success on the field. They continue to struggle and are once again one of the worst teams in the league (Luckily for them expansion squad San Jose is just as terrible and the Beckham experiment seems to have failed on the field in L.A.) and that fear is that another Canadian team would be just as bad. The final problem Vancouver face is that they have been consistent in having about 4,500 fans at home games, but they have struggled to really build it beyond that. Would 18,000 people be interested in seeing the Whitecaps play week in week out in Vancouver in season 1? Yes... after season 1, not likely.

The decision will be made at the end of the year or early in 2009. Whatever the decision, here's hoping that a Canadian team gets the call and has all the support that Toronto F.C. have off the pitch... but with some success on the pitch.

written by Tyler Green

Whitecaps in the USL Final this Sunday

The excitement is building for the Whitecaps playing in the USL Final on Sunday afternoon. Puerto Rico has shown that they are a class team not only in the USL but also in the CONCACAF Champions League. A win for the Whitecaps would be tremendous not only for the city and the team moving forward as the 'Caps attempt to move into the MLS for 2011, but also for the game in Canada and showing that yes, a Canadian team with Canadian players can be good. Montreal, who lost of Vancouver in the Semi-Finals are now concentrating on their CONCACAF Champions League group. A group in which they lead. Montreal is also showing what Canadian talent can do, in the USL and also in the CCL tournament against the best club teams from various CONCACAF countries. Montreal and Vancouver are proving that Canadians can play the game, and hopefully that translates to the National squad coached by Dale Mitchell. If only Toronto F.C. could get their act together and maybe this country might start to build up from the grassroots and clubs. Only time will tell, but with the success that Vancouver and Montreal are having right now, let's hope that they don't change their tune when the MLS comes calling.

written by Tyler Green

Montreal Impacting CONCACAF

A few months back, July 15th to be exact, I wrote an article about wanting the Montreal Impact to be the Canadian representative in the CONCACAF Champions League, instead of Toronto and Vancouver (the Whitecaps were mathematically out of the contest at that point).

At the time, Montreal was struggling in the USL, but they were doing enough to get in. Most pundits who work in this business must have thought I was crazy, considering that Toronto should have been the team that won it (they do have the most money after all) and no one really thought that Montreal would make much noise. Well, 3 games into the group stage, the Impact sit in top spot in their group with 7 points, 2 wins and a draw. Three points up on the 2nd place squad Atlante. There is still a lot of soccer to be played, but right now, I'm glad that a Canadian squad is making waves in this tournament. It's showing that with a little bit of support, Canada can be a big power in CONCACAF. Starting at the club stage and hopefully moving beyond the club and into the country stage.

On Friday and Sunday, Oct 3rd and 5th, the Impact will play the Vancouver Whitecaps in the USL Playoffs, less than 48 hours after being Olímpia in Honduras. It will be interesting to see how this is going to affect Montreal. The advantage is with the 'Caps in this series. It would be nice to see Vancouver win the USL Championships and have the Impact concentrate on the CONCACAF Champions League title. Perhaps Toronto F.C. can get into the MLS playoffs and do some damage in that league, unlikely, but one can dream of a Canadian sweep. It's all coming in the next few months... an exciting time for football here in North America.

Zidane's Sorry

Zinedine Zidane has finally apologized (to his cousin...?) for his stupidity...

http://www.ansa.it/site/notizie/awnplus/english/news/2008-09-18_118274984.html

Champions League Draw + Analysis

A
Chelsea
Roma
Bordeaux
CFR 1907 Cuj

Tyler's Analysis: Chelsea really have this group sewn up without having played a game. Roma should and usually takes 2nd spot, perhaps Blanc can work the magic he did in Ligue 1 last season and surprise someone in Group A, doubtful, but worth a look.

Mike's Analysis: Can Big Phil do what Avram Grant and the Special One couldn't? We shall see. Roma will work harder than ever for Champions League success (with the final being played in Rome next May)... thus, Chelsea and Roma will advance easily. Those two meet in late October and early November, and should be fantastic matches. Laurent Blanc's Bordeaux will struggle, but look for Yoann Gourcuff to shine. The on-loan midfielder from AC Milan barely played in Italy, but has boatloads of skill. Will be interesting to watch CFR Cluj. They field quite the international squad... including Canadian 'keeper Lars Hirschfeld, who isn't first-choice, but has Champions League experience with Rosenborg.

B
Inter Milan
Werder Bremen
Panathinaikos
Anorthosis Famagusta

Tyler's Analysis: Mourinho's group is a breeze. Bremen and Panathinaikos battle for second behind Inter. The bigger question is how Anorthosis actually managed to make it into the Champions League. I saw them play last year against Tottenham at White Hart Lane in a Uefa Cup game. Spurs won that game 6 - 1... Famagusta didn't even have a chance and looked like they couldn't beat a Sunday League team. Overall, look for everyone to pick up 6 points off Anorthosis Famagusta, should any team fail to do that... they are the ones that will grab 3rd and miss out on the rest of the party.

Mike's Analysis: Mourinho and Inter should have no problem. Werder Bremen, led by Diego and Torsten Frings, will grab the second spot. Leaving former Arsenal star Gilberto Silva and Panathinaikos on the outside. Anorthosis Famagusta... no me gusta.

C
Barcelona
Sporting Lisbon
FC Basel
Shakhtar Donetsk

Tyler's Analysis: Barca will pick up the wins they need to progress in top spot, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's a dog fight between the other 3 teams.

Mike's Analysis: Barca has too much class for this group. Sporting has the depth to get them through to Round 2. Shakhtar should beat out FC Basel for the UEFA Cup spot.

D
Liverpool
PSV Eindhoven
Marseille
Atletico Madrid

Tyler's Analysis: This group is going to be good and I wonder how much the injury to Steven Gerrard will affect Liverpool. Liverpool should advance along with Athletico Madrid, but it may come down a question of in which spot, 1st or 2nd.

Mike's Analysis: As much as I hate Liverpool, they'll advance. The rest of the group should be interesting. Atletico has a great looking squad, with plenty of goals coming from Sergio Aguero and Diego Forlan, but PSV are always tough and have owned the Eredivisie for years. Look for Atletico and PSV to fight for that second spot, with Marseille going home.

E
Manchester United
Villareal
Celtic
Aalborg BK

Tyler's Analysis: Manchester United look poised to win this group, despite in being tough... but they've been lucky so far this Premier League season, any stumble could produce an outside shot at someone taking over the group. The real battle will be Villareal and Celtic battling for 2nd spot.

Mike's Analysis: Add Utd to teams I hate... I absolutely detest them. So in honour of my hatred for Man U., I will go with Villarreal. But, it should be mentioned that the Yellow Submarine have a fantastic squad. Capdevila, Cazorla, Pires, Senna, Nihat, Giuseppe Rossi, along with American star Jozy Altidore are just some of the stars that will push Villarreal to the top. Utd will take second... as those matches v. Celtic promise to be entertaining.

F
Olympique Lyonnais
Bayern Munich
Steaua Bucharest
Fiorentina

Tyler's Analysis: Bayern returns to the Champions League and looking at their early season Bundesliga games, don't stand a chance coming out of this group. If they can start to get things going under Klinsmann, then look out, but until that happens, they are in tough. I'm also interested to see what Fiorentina can do this year (with a home game on the 1st leg on Champions League play so I can see it while I'm in Italy)

Mike's Analysis: Bayern should be the class of the group, but Lyon and Fiorentina will provide stiff challenges. The match to watch will be on November 5th, when Luca Toni and Bayern visit his old Fiorentina squad (they first meet two weeks prior in Munich). La Viola beat out Milan for the final Champions League spot last season, and made it to the UEFA Cup semi-finals (along with Bayern). With former Milan striker Alberto Gilardino joining Adrian Mutu, they'll definitely have the fire-power to compete.

G
Arsenal
FC Porto
Fenerbahce
Dynamo Kiev

Tyler's Analysis: Arsenal are the favourites to come out of Group G, but this group is going to be a dog fight. Although, Dynamo Kiev might be hoping for a few winter meetings to help them advance.

Mike's Analysis: Arsenal will take the group. Last season's quarterfinalists Fenerbahce will battle with Porto for second. Dynamo Kiev will be tough at home, but will find it difficult in away matches.

H
Real Madrid
Juventus
Zenit St. Petersburg
BATE Borisov

Tyler's Analysis: I think Real Madrid will win this group, Juventus get through. A lot of people feel that Zenit will give both teams trouble, but I predict they are a bit of an over-achieving club and will fail to impress this time around.

Mike's Analysis: I'm thinking Juve will knock off Real for top spot. Last year's UEFA Cup winners Zenit will hang around 'til the end, but it looks like they'll take third, and try to defend their UEFA Cup title. BATE is the first Belarusian side to get this far... sadly for them, this will be as far as they go.

Jonathan de Guzman & the big "What if"

Wenger and Arsenal are apparently sniffing around Feyenoord to see if there is a possibility of bringing in Jonathan de Guzman to help solidify the Gunners midfield. The move however, will likely not happen this summer, according to de Guzman's agent Jan de Visser, "I don't expect a transfer of Jonathan this summer," he said. "The price that Feyenoord ask for him is too much for the interested clubs. And the closer you come to the end of the transfer window, the more expensive he will get."

de Visser doesn't believe that any team is willing to spend the reported £12 million that it will cost to bring JvG in. Arsenal is a team though that has money to spend and a depleted midfield after losing both Gilberto and Mathieu Flamini, so we'll see what happens to the Dutch/Canadian player.

Now for the big "WHAT IF"... I still feel disappointed that de Guzman chose Oranje instead of Red and White. Can you imagine the scary midfield that Canada could have had with de Guzman (squared alongside brother Julian) with current Manchester United and England midfielder Owen Hargreaves, plus de Rosario. People wouldn't be talking about Canada as a team that may get the 3rd spot in CONCACAF, instead they would be talking about how Canada is one of 'THE' countries to beat to get in instead of Canada. Hopefully de Guzman is the last player that chooses another country to play for. On the other hand, I've said it before, if I were de Guzman or Hargreaves and were eligible for a call-up from one of the "big" countries (I am still eligible to play for Germany in case Joachim Löw is reading this and in need of a mediocre midfielder) and the coach did phone me to put on the National team shirt for one of the footballing powers, I would have to take that call seriously and I too, might turn my back on Canada. I'm sure not any of players would say this, but I think a lot of it is all about winning, and I suppose many of the players would rather win than represent, not all, but if they had the opportunity, many would.

Tyler

Dale Mitchell would rather not play in Toronto

Canada's National Mens soccer Head Coach Dale Mitchell was disappointed about his squads result, a 1 goal draw with Jamaica in the 2010 World Cup qualifying round, but he was more noticeably upset with the turf at BMO Field, Speaking with the TEAM 1040 Sports Radio in Vancouver, Mitchell is happy that Canada's soccer squad won't be in Toronto again this year, "I'm please that we're not going to play on it again during this qualification around in 2008". Mitchell thinks the ball bounces around too much and hopes that Canada doesn't again, "I hope we don't in 2009, I don't think it's a good surface". Mitchell went on to say that he has seen a lot of Toronto FC's games over the last two seasons and thinks that they (TFC) don't play at the same quality as they do when they play on natural grass.

With the transfer of Maurice Edu to Rangers in Scotland, Mitchell is hopeful that they can put those transfer funds towards a better pitch at BMO Field, "I'm hopeful over time they can change the surface in Toronto because they have everything else in place in terms of having a great MLS franchise".

You can hear Dale's comments tonight on Full Time, the football show at 9pm on the TEAM 1040 in Vancouver.

Another bit of video genius... for the soccer fan...

Nice little video bios... you never see anything like this here in Canada.

Jermaine Defoe


Ashley Cole


Charlton Cole


David Bentley

Rio Ferdinand - World Cup Wind-Ups

I saw these a few years ago while I was in London prior to the heading to Germany for the World Cup. I saw them again recently on You Tube.. "Rio Ferdinand's World Cup Wind-Ups"... enjoy.

David James


Ashley Cole


Shaun Wright-Phillips


Gary Neville


David Beckham


Peter Crouch


Wayne Rooney

Tevez v Anderson

Strange videos are the norm in football... I found this... and wondered, "Why?"

Tyler and Mike

You've seen the names... you've heard the voices... now here are the faces.

Tune in to "Full Time, The Football Show" on Sunday, August 24th, at 9pm on the TEAM 1040. See the post below for what you will heard on Sunday's show.

Full Time - August 24th at 9pm on the TEAM 1040

Tyler Green and Mike Martignago return to the airwaves with "Full Time, The Football Show" this Sunday, August 24th at 9pm on the TEAM 1040. Whitecaps Midfielder Jeff Clarke will join the boys to chat about the final stretch of the season as the 'Caps continue their quest for top spot in the USL standings.

Plus, Tyler and Mike will recap the second week of the Barclays Premier League with former Arsenal, West Ham and Coventry midfielder turned analyst, Stewart Robson.

Plus Canada's draw with Jamaica in World Cup qualifying and a preview Tyler's European soccer vacation...er... Honeymoon.

Full Time, the football show, a presentation of the Vancouver Whitecaps F.C. Sunday, August 24th at 9pm on the TEAM 1040 or online at http://www.team1040.ca/

Missed a show? check it out Full Time, the football Show online at http://www.whitecapsfc.com/fanzone/fulltime/

Full-Time, The Football Show Fantasy Premier League!!!

Tyler Green and Mike Martignago, hosts of "Full-Time, The Football Show" on the TEAM 1040, have officially set up a brand new English Premier Fantasy League. Let's see how you would fair managing your own Premier League team. They are challenging you!!

Sign up today at http://fantasy.premierleague.com and join the league with the code: 345327-124472

Tyler and Mike would like to see you on the Fantasy Pitch!!

Random thoughts...

When the dust settled, the Montreal Impact picked up a tie against Toronto F.C. and thus winning the right to represent Canada in the CONCACAF Champions League. The best way to describe this is, "Great for Canadian soccer"!! With all the problems Canadian soccer faces in terms of development of players, qualified coaches and cash in hand from the Canadian government, it's nice to see a Canadian squad win it, not Toronto F.C., an international club dressed up Canadian clothing. Montreal will now represent Canada. Hopefully this means that Leduc, Braz, and the rest of the Canadians playing regularly for the Impact will do us proud as Canadians and get more experience for Dale Mitchell's Canadian National team squad.

Has the David Beckham signing been good or bad for business in the MLS and North America? Well, the latest report seems to make you think it's still very good for business. Currently, the L.A. Galaxy are the leagues top attended team, averaging 27,094 per game, around five grand more than the next best, Canada's own, Toronto F.C., and with his appearance in New York against the Red Bulls over the weekend, the New York club brought in just under 47,000 spectators, about 30,000 more than they usually get. So it appears someone in the league might be getting their money's worth.

Ronaldinho has signed for AC Milan and will apparently wear #80 as a jersey number. This following Ronaldo's #99 shirt in Milan. Wearing the 80 shirt is supposed to be a reference to Ronaldinho's birth year. I don't know about you, but I absolutely hate the fact that teams allow players to wear a number as ridiculous as 80. Whatever happened to wearing something between 1 and 30 on a soccer team!

Apparently demanding that you be moved to Liverpool and then having it fall through, only to return to the club that you wanted to leave is kind of difficult... Gareth Barry played 60 minutes for Villa in an appearance at Walsall. During the night, he touched the ball while receiving chants of 'Judas', 'Barry Who?' and 'You're not fit to wear the shirt'. It might be a long year for Barry if Liverpool don't step up soon.

There was a lot og hype surrounding Andrei Arshavin following Euro 2008 and his impending move to either Spain, Italy or England, which has yet to come to fruition. Doubts remain on the playmaker and Zenit's £21 million asking price has scared off many teams who don't know if his playmaking and physical strength can last through an entire season of top flight football on a top flight team. At this point, it looks like Arshavin will play another season at Zenit.

The MLS All-Star game goes Thursday night... and while the game may be getting attention in Toronto (and will obviously get attention on the major TV networks in Canada), it's playing out in Vancouver as a chance for the Whitecaps to get an MLS franchise. This is a little premature. After talking with a source close to the 'Caps, I've been told the MLS will NOT announce Vancouver has an MLS franchise. Instead, the announcement will be about the future of MLS and the further expansion, not only in Canada, but in North America, meaning, they will say, Montreal and Vancouver are great cities and ones we will look at when we decide to expand again (in 2011 you will see those two teams in the MLS). I will say this though, expanding too fast will be a negative on a league that people say is already weaker than their European counterparts. Is there enough talent in the pool to play here in North America? Hopefully it doesn't get too watered down, otherwise it's going to be bad for the league and especially the fans.

written by Tyler Green

Full Time - Sunday, July 27th, at 9pm, on the TEAM 1040

Tyler Green and Mike Martignago will speak with Tottenham Hotspur defender Paul Stalteri on Sunday night on the TEAM 1040. The hosts of Full Time will discuss Stalteri's possible move away from White Hart Lane, his role as the Captain of the Canadian National Team and talk Canada as a soccer nation.

Plus, Bob Lenarduzzi, President of the Vancouver Whitecaps will join Tyler and Mike to discuss the MLS expansion plans and all things Whitecaps.

Tune in to the show on Sunday night, July 27th at 9pm on the TEAM 1040 or online at http://www.team1040.ca/

What's better for Canadian Soccer...

There is an argument out in the soccer world about which team should represent Canada in the upcoming CONCACAF Champions League. Many people say Toronto F.C. because they are the only MLS team in Canada and, arguably, the best team with the best talent. My argument is a little different: which team, in representing Canada, would bring the best benefits home to Canadian soccer? I would not choose Toronto F.C., and the simple reason is that, in my opinion, TFC is not Canadian; rather, they are an international squad. The Montreal Impact and the Vancouver Whitecaps are both more "Canadian" teams, and for this reason, either team would be better positioned to benefit Canadian soccer by competing. Since Vancouver is out of the running, I would support Montreal to represent Canada in the CONCACAF Champions League.

First, let's take a look at the Major League Soccer team in Toronto. Currently, TFC have 7 Canadian members in the squad, down from 8 after recently releasing Andrea Lombardo. That's 7 players on a roster of 25. TFC's Academy Head Coach, Nick Dasovic, is the only Canadian on the coaching staff. Dasovic's duties include assisting the reserve team, but his duties don't allow him to work with or to travel on the road with the first team. Jim Brennan, team captain, and Greg Sutton, first choice 'keeper, are the two well-known Canadian players on Toronto's squad, both playing a majority of minutes. As for the other Canadians on the team, at the time of writing, there are two on the development roster: Tyler Rosenlund and Nana Attakora-Gyan. Rosenlund has had the pleasure of playing 2 TFC games for a total of 8 minutes, while Attakora-Gyan has managed just 1 game for 3 minutes. Canadians Joey Melo and Tyler Hemming are both on the senior development squad. Melo has yet to feature in a game, and Hemming has 72 minutes under his belt, played over 2 games. The final Canadian is Kevin Harmse, who has played 7 games so far for the Toronto outfit, including 5 game starts. All this in a total of 15 MLS games so far this season.

Meanwhile, Montreal's squad features a number of Canadians: 11 to be exact, on a 22 man roster. Canadian Patrick Leduc has featured in all 15 of Montreal's USL games, while Adam Braz and Mauro Biello have taken part in 14. Nevio Pizzolitto has featured in 9 games. Sita-Taty Matondo, Gabriel Gervais and Rocco Placenino have managed to acquire 8 games this season, while Antonio Ribeiro and Alex Surpenant have each played 6. The high representation of Canadians on the Montreal team doesn't just stop on the playing field: the Impact have an entire coaching staff of Canadians as well.

Looking at these statistics, the question is, which team should represent Canada in the CONCACAF Champions League? The answer is Montreal, and here's why.

Canada has been trying to build a strong soccer tradition for a long time. That entails establishing 3 key factors: loyal fans; better Canadian talent; and more teams that can compete with and are as strong as Toronto. If Montreal wins the right to go and play in the CONCACAF Champions League, then that will strengthen all 3 key factors:

Firstly, Montreal will be positioned to foster a better and more influential soccer community within Canada. This will eventually lead to Montreal hosting more national tournaments in the new Saputo Stadium and also raising home grown fan support in a city that is only 4 or 5 time zones away from the Europe-based players. It will ensure that there is a strong support structure for soccer in place in Montreal, and allow for the Canadian team to play sold out events supported by loyal Canadian fans.

Secondly, Montreal has a better opportunity than Toronto to build Canadian talent. With only 2 players seeing regular action in Toronto, it is important that a more "Canadian" team has the chance to give its players the valuable experience of facing other environments and cultures in competitive matches. Montreal has more Canadians on the roster and more playing in everyday games. With the addition of the Champions League they will play higher calibre teams, and in league play, reserve players will get a chance to play more regularly, thus building a stronger foundation in Canada for players in North American leagues. Montreal players will then know what to expect when they put on the Canadian National Team shirt and play against a country like Mexico, Honduras or Costa Rica. They will have had actual game experience against these countries. Having Americans Maurice Edu and Marvell Wynne, or Honduran Amado Guevara play Champions League games for Toronto does not help our national product. Further, if Montreal were to represent Canada, it would benefit Canadian soccer by helping build a strong Canadian coaching staff. Who will follow in the footsteps of Canadian National Team coaches Frank Yallop and current coach Dale Mitchell? Perhaps a Canadian named John Limniatis, current coach of the Impact, or Montreal's technical director, Nick De Santis.

With respect to the third factor, Canada needs to build the strength of Toronto's competitor teams. While having a stronger team in Toronto will help us reach our goal of being a better soccer country on the CONCACAF stage and on the world stage, having 1 strong team out of Canada's 3 teams is not sufficient to create a vibrant, competitive, and exciting soccer culture in Canada. We, as a country need 3 equally developed Canadian teams. As of this writing, the Vancouver Whitecaps are solidly near the top of the USL Division 1. Montreal is struggling in the league this year, but if they win the Canadian Club Championship, it would provide a solid finish to the season. Toronto is holding its own in the MLS Eastern Conference. If Montreal goes through, they will be building a better group of young Canadian players, while Toronto will be building a better group of international stars. If Montreal wins and gains a place, they will build a strong franchise, a better franchise, one that kids in Quebec would love the opportunity to play for.

To me it makes perfect sense. Montreal wins the Canadian spot in the CONCACAF Champions League, building a better team off the field, on the field, and in the future. And if they lose in the first round, well, who knows for sure that Toronto would do any better? The question is, would you rather have Canadians gaining experience on the field or would you rather have Canadians gaining experience on the sidelines? I want my Canadians playing.


written by: Tyler Green

Montreal or Toronto?

Which team should represent Canada in the CONCACAF Champions League? I will give you my thoughts shortly... stay tuned!

Tyler

It's coming soon... watch out soccer world!!

It's coming soon... watch out soccer world!!