SIMEON JACKSON WINS 2009 CANADIAN PLAYER OF THE YEAR

The Canadian Soccer Association announced today that Simeon Jackson is the male selection for the 2009 Canadian Players of the Year award. Jackson was honoured in a vote shared by Canadian media (50%) and Canadian coaches who have taken the Canadian Soccer Association’s national course at the B and A levels (50%).

Jackson of Mississauga, ON wins the award for the first time. His co-winner Christine Sinclair of Burnaby, BC – announced yesterday – is a five-time winner of the prize.

“This is a fantastic achievement for Simeon,” said Canadian national head coach Stephen Hart. “He had an excellent club season and performed admirably at the national level. Full congratulations to Simeon.”

In 2009, the 22-year old striker helped Gillingham FC earn a promotion to League One in England. In the second half of the 2008-09 season, he scored nine goals in 25 League Two appearances, including three goals in the final two playoff matches to earn Gillingham FC the promotion for the 2009-10 season. It was on 23 May 2009 in front of 53,706 fans at Wembley Stadium that Jackson scored the winning goal of a Gillingham FC 1:0 victory over Shrewsbury to secure the promotion. Jackson scored on a header in the 91st minute of play.

Just one week later, he made his international debut with the Canadian national team in a 1:0 victory over Cyprus in Larnaka. Again, Jackson scored the lone goal of the match, this one the first of his international career.

Over the summer, Jackson represented Canada at the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He helped Canada reach the quarter-final stage. He was called up again in November for a pair of friendly matches in Europe, thus earning him seven national appearances by year’s end.

As for the start of the 2009-10 England League One season, Jackson has been in fine form through the first 18 games of the season. He has scored 10 goals including an opening-day hat trick against Swindon Town on 8 August. He scored two additional goals in League Cup matches against Plymouth and Premiership opponent Blackburn. The 25 August goal against Blackburn was Jackson’s second of the year against a Premiership opponent; his first was a 4 January 2009 goal against Aston Villa in FA Cup action.

While the media across the country and coaches from the community levels to national teams honoured Jackson and Sinclair as the top national players, Canadian coaches honoured two pairs of teenagers earlier this week in other 2009 player award announcements. Nana Attakora (Orangeville, ON) and Chelsea Stewart (The Pas, MB) were named co-winners of the Canadian U-20 Players of the Year award while Russell Teibert (Niagara Falls, ON) and Abigail Raymer (Victoria, BC) were named co-winners of the Canadian U-17 Players of the Year award.

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TG - I had the chance to vote and Simeon Jackson got my vote. We'll talk more about it on the show on Sunday evening. I am actually a little surprised that Jackson won. I thought for sure, the Toronto media would have swayed the vote with Dwayne De Rosario. My faith is renewed.

Simeon Jackson will join Full-Time in the weeks to come. Just trying to track him down. Simeon, answer your phone.

MM - I also voted for Simeon Jackson and - just like Tyler - am very surprised that he actually won the award.

That said, it appeared to be an incredibly tight vote. 1. Jackson (18.2); 2. Dwayne De Rosario (17.6); 3. Julian de Guzman (17.4).

My question is... WTF? How was it even this close. While I repeat, I am surprised that Jackson actually won (thinking that everyone would for some reason vote for the TFC boys), I'm still stunned that people made it this close.

What impact did Julian de Guzman make in 2009? Did Dwayne De Rosario really shine in 2009 for club and country?

Jackson had a spectacular year. He led his club to promotion, scored on his international debut, and provided some spark in the Gold Cup.

Tune in late Sunday night / Monday morning (midnight - Monday, December 21st) for more.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAW

Here's how the actualy draw has broken down...


VfB Stuttgart v Barcelona

Olympiakos v Bordeaux

Internazionale v Chelsea

Bayern Munich v Fiorentina

CSKA Moscow v Sevilla FC

Lyon v Real Madrid

FC Porto v Arsenal

AC Milan v Manchester United

Teibert, Raymer named Canadian U-17 Players of the Year

Canadian teenagers Russell Teibert and Abigail Raymer have been named Canadian U-17 Players of the Year for the 2009 soccer season. The two stars were honoured in a vote shared by national-team coaches (50%) and Canadian coaches who have taken the Canadian Soccer Association’s national course at the B and A levels (50%).

Raymer is a member of Canada's women's U-17 team. She took part in the Canadian team's first camp in October as the team began preparations for the 2010 CONCACAF Women's Under-17 Championship in March. She started the 2009 season as a member of the Canadian Soccer Association's National Training Centre in British Columbia, but also as part of Gordon Head Gold in the Lower Island Soccer Association's 2008-09 Premier League. For the 2009-10 season, she joined the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Prospects development team.

In July, the Victoria, BC striker won a bronze medal with British Columbia at the 2009 BMO National Championships Nutrilite All Stars U-16 girls competition in Richmond, BC. It was her second medal at the national championships, having previously won a gold at the 2007 Nutrilite All Stars U-14 competition in Longueuil, QC.

As for Teibert, the Niagara Falls, ON midfielder is now a two-time winner of the Canadian U-17 Player of the Year award. He split the 2009 season between the national U-17 team and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency side. He served as Canada’s captain at the 2009 CONCACAF Men’s Under-17 Championship in Tijuana, Mexico. He scored Canada’s first goal of the opening match, a 1:1 draw with Honduras. At the club level, he took part in Whitecaps Residency trips to USA (Dallas Cup), Germany and Spain. Teibert also scored one goal and added four assists in 14 matches during the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development season. He scored his first PDL goal on 5 June against the Seattle Wolves.

THE 2009-10 FULL-TIME CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAW

As mentioned and previewed on the big show, we took some time post-program to do our own version of the round of 16 UEFA Champions League draw.

Our producer Keith Van Brabant selected the names out of the hat. Host Mike Martignago was the official master of ceremonies, and host Tyler Green was the official recorder of the draw.

This is what our knockout round would look like:

Real Madrid v Lyon

Sevilla v CSKA Moscow

Arsenal v Inter Milan

Manchester United v Bayern Munich

Barcelona v Olympiakos

Bordeaux v Stuttgart

Chelsea v AC Milan

Fiorentina v Porto

So there you have it. Plenty of very interesting match-ups. Let's hope we improve on our 1 out of 8 performance from last year.

Your thoughts? As always, email us at fulltime@teamradio.ca.

Donovan close to January loan deal at Everton

Everton are expected to sign USA international Landon Donovan on a three-month loan deal in January.

Donovan, a Los Angeles Galaxy club-mate of David Beckham, needs to play competitive football at the end of the Major League Soccer to maintain his fitness for the World Cup finals in South Africa in June.

His move is similar to the one that Beckham has agreed with AC Milan. Sources at Everton have confirmed that negotiations are at an advanced stage with the 27-year-old, who is the USA's all-time leading scorer.

Donovan has previously had spells with Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich, but failed to find his best form in the German league.

Stephen Hart named Canada’s new men’s head coach

As expected, Stephen Hart was named Canada's new men's head coach. It has been expected for a while and the CSA finally does something right. The players all seem to like him (Will Johnson reiterated that fact when he joined us a few weeks ago), the fans seem to like him and it would also appear the CSA seems to like him. So that's one thing the CSA has officially gotten right. Can they get something else right and move in a forward direction? Can David Hoilett be tempted to lay for Canada? Will Canada play for friendlies? Will Canada make the World Cup in 2014? I guess we will wait and see. In the meantime, it looks like the CSA might actually be making moves in a positive, forward direction.



Here's the official release:

Stephen Hart named Canada’s new men’s head coach

The Canadian Soccer Association announced today that Stephen Hart has been appointed head coach of Canada’s national team. Hart will be in charge of Canada’s qualification efforts as Canada works toward the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™.

"Stephen Hart is the man in charge with the task to lead Canada to the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil," said Canadian Soccer Association president Dr. Dominic Maestracci. "He delivers an exciting brand of football that has proven to be successful against our CONCACAF opponents. He will have full support of our country as he builds a winning team that will qualify us for Brazil in four years time."

“I am honoured to be chosen for this prestigious and very important position,” said national head coach Stephen Hart. “I am fully aware of the expectation and look forward to the challenge of building a team for the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ Qualifiers and beyond.”

Hart most recently served as Canada’s interim head coach for the 2009 season. He helped Canada compile a record of four wins, one draw and three losses, including a quarter-final finish at the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. In the group stage of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, Hart led Canada to a first-place finish in its group. In the quarter-final stage, Canada lost 0:1 to Honduras who scored on a penalty kick.

In 18 career games over two stints as Canada’s head coach (2006-07 and 2009), Hart has posted nine wins, two draws and seven losses. His 50% ratio of wins to games is the highest in Association history, ranking ahead of Barrie Clarke and Tony Taylor who each won six of 14 games for a 43% ratio. In those 18 games, Hart's teams have averaged 1.33 goals scored per game and 0.94 goals allowed per game – both the second-best totals behind Clarke’s teams from the early 1980s (1.57 goals scored and 0.93 goals allowed per game).

Hart has been the Canadian Soccer Association’s Technical Director since March 2008. In this role, he oversaw the Association’s long-term player development program (Wellness to World Cup presented by BMO) and was in charge of directing and monitoring the national development teams, the coaching education program, the National Training Centres, and the sports medicine program. This vacancy will be filled in the coming months.

CONCACAF’s next round of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers™ is scheduled to begin in 2012, which will take place after the next CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2011. To date, Canada’s men’s national team has won two CONCACAF championships – the 1985 CONCACAF Men’s Championship (which qualified Canada for the 1986 FIFA World Cup Mexico™) and the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup (which qualified Canada for the FIFA Confederations Cup Korea/Japan 2001).

THE THREE LIONS CAFE

Our good friends at The Three Lions Cafe have a new website to tantalize your tastebuds along with getting your football/soccer watching fix. You can check it out here.

WHITECAPS GOALKEEPER JAY NOLLY SIGNS NEW DEAL

VANCOUVER, BC - Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced today that they have re-signed Jay Nolly. The goalkeeper has agreed to a new one-year deal - plus an option - with the North American Soccer League outfit.

Nolly, 27, will be entering his third season with the 'Caps in 2010, having initially joined the club on January 24, 2008. During his first two years with Vancouver, the shot-stopper has amassed a 31W-21L-18D record in 71 appearances for 6,355 minutes of action. This includes 23 shutouts and a goals-against average of 1.16.

Last season, the native of Littleton, Colorado, was named the Whitecaps Most Valuable Player after playing in every minute (3,600) of the club's 40 United Soccer Leagues First Division (USL-1) and Nutrilite Canadian Championship matches. His efforts made him the first Whitecaps goalkeeper to play every minute in a single season since Arnie Mausser achieved the feat during the 1977 NASL campaign. Nolly compiled a 16W-13L-11D record in 2009, earning 12 shutouts and a goals-against average of 1.18. This included three clean sheets and a goals-against average of 0.25 in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship, as well as some stellar performances during the Whitecaps playoff run to the USL-1 Championship Series.

In his first season with the 'Caps, Nolly was named 2008 Whitecaps Defender of the Year after recording 11 shutouts in 31 appearances. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound keeper was instrumental in leading the men's team to their second USL-1 Championship title in three seasons that year.

Before joining the Whitecaps, Nolly spent three years in Major League Soccer with Real Salt Lake and D.C. United after being selected by RSL in the second round (22nd overall) of the 2005 MLS SuperDraft. At Indiana University, Nolly was instrumental in helping Indiana win back-to-back NCAA Division I championship titles in 2003 and 2004.

VAN/MON EACH MAKE SOME SIGNINGS

First up in signing news is Montreal as DAVID TESTO BACK FOR TWO SEASONS. The Montreal Impact announced Monday that its 2009 MVP, American midfielder David Testo, had signed a new two-year deal with the club. ** A nice move for the Impact. Testo was fantastic in the USL Championship game and is a key for their success.

Up next, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced THORDARSON SIGNS CONTRACT EXTENSION. That deals is a one-year contract extension with the club. ** We discussed this last night on the show. Teitur has lead the Whitecaps to two appearances in the USL-1 Championship game, winning one. Teitur has done an extremely good job with this squad and deserved the new contract. Like many of the players though, Teitur is auditioning for a job in Major League Soccer. We've known for a couple of years that the players were playing for their jobs and the possibility of playing for the MLS Vancouver franchise in 2011. Teitur now has his opportunity to perform and work for the head coaching job MLS. It's not out of the realm of possibility of Thordarson as MLS Head Coach as it is known that Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi says he (Thordarson) will be interviewed for the MLS head coaching position.

There could be some stiff competition though for the job, with former D.C. United coach, Tom Soehn, on the Caps' chat list. The Province's Marc Weber has this story. It makes for more competition for the head coach position. Sure Soehn is looking for the technical director role, but finding the right man for the job is key and having some internal competition is always a good thing for the club.

HABER OFFERED CONTRACT BY WEST BROMWICH ALBION

Marc Weber at The Province is reporting that Vancouver Whitecaps forward Marcus Haber has been offered a contract by English League Championship side West Bromwich Albion.

The 20-year-old Vancouver native was the 2009 USL First Division rookie of the year, scoring eight goals in 30 league matches.

Haber was on a four-day trial with West Brom.

WILL JOHNSON JOINS FULL-TIME

Will Johnson, Canadian National Team member and member of the 2009 MLS Cup winning Real Salt Lake, will join Full-Time this Sunday evening. Show time is a bit late as we follow Vancouver Canucks hockey and the Canucks post game show. We'll be live from midnight until 1am (it's part of our late night shortened shows because frankly, it's past our bedtime). Johnson will chat about the season, the game, being sick prior to the game (and it wasn't food poisoning) and also his thoughts on the future of the Canadian National Team, which players will lead and also what he thinks about Asmir Begovic and the decision to play elsewhere and not Canada.

You can follow the link here and listen live online or if you are using your radio, we are at 1040 on the AM dial in Vancouver.

We also will find out about the latest from Setanta Sports, all the latest scores and news from Europe, the latest on the 'Caps (is Marcus Haber back or off to England) and see what other kind of trouble we can find.

WHITECAPS RELEASE BURGESS AND VERSAILLES

VANCOUVER, BC - Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced today that they have released midfielders Tyrell Burgess and Kenold Versailles.

Burgess, 23, leaves Vancouver after one season with the club, having initially signed on January 30, 2009. The 6-foot-2, 165-pound native of Smiths, Bermuda, scored one goal and added two assists in 25 appearances with the Whitecaps. Prior to joining Vancouver, Burgess spent three years at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida.

Versailles, 25, joined the Whitecaps on January 9, 2009, after five seasons in the Division 1 Ligue Haitienne. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound native of Carrefour, Haiti, scored one goal in 15 appearances for Vancouver.

HABER ON TRIAL WITH ENGLAND'S WEST BROM

A potential big piece to the puzzle in Vancouver's inaugural MLS season may be gone by the weekend. As you will see in the press release below. Marcus Haber, the USL-1's 2009 Rookie of the Year, is on trial with West Brom. Haber had the potential of being the key offensive driving force for the MLS Whitecaps. Being Canadian helps too, not only on the field, but off the field with kids growing up watching Canadian players compete at a league close to home. It will be interesting to see if he is offered a contract. We are hoping to connect with Marcus this weekend.

(side note: Canadian and MLS Champion Will Johnson will join us on Sunday to talk winning it all)

For Immediate Release: November 24, 2009

HABER ON TRIAL WITH ENGLAND’S WEST BROM

VANCOUVER, BC - Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced today that striker Marcus Haber has joined English League Championship club West Bromwich Albion for a four-day trial from Tuesday, November 24, to Friday, November 27.

Haber, 20, recently completed a successful first season with the Whitecaps in 2009. The Canadian youth international scored eight goals and recorded four assists for 20 points in 30 United Soccer Leagues First Division (USL-1) regular season matches. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound, native of Vancouver, BC, also added three goals in six playoff matches and one goal during the Nutrilite Canadian Championship. For his efforts, the speedy youngster was named USL-1 Rookie of the Year, as well as the Whitecaps Newcomer of the Year and Fan Favourite.

Prior to joining the 'Caps, Haber spent two seasons with the U-19 and reserve teams of Dutch Eredivisie club FC Groningen.

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE ON TEAM RADIO

Upcoming this week on TEAM Radio

Saturday 28th November (2 matches)

Kick Off: 7:00am – Portsmouth v Manchester Utd

Kick Off: 9:30am – Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur

Sunday 29th November (2 matches)

Kick Off: 5:30am – Everton v Liverpool

Kick Off: 8:00am – Arsenal v Chelsea

For more information, click here

WHITECAPS APPOINT CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER FROM ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE CLUB

For Immediate Release: November 24, 2009

WHITECAPS APPOINT CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER FROM ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE CLUB

VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced today that Paul Barber, of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club of the English Premier League, has been named the new chief executive officer of the Whitecaps, effective March 1, 2010.

Barber will join president Bob Lenarduzzi and chief operating officer Rachel Lewis in heading up the Whitecaps executive team, as the club moves towards 2011 and their inaugural season in Major League Soccer (MLS). Barber will act as the primary representative within the club for the Vancouver MLS 2011 ownership group, and bring world-class experience and leadership to the club’s business and soccer operations.

"Paul brings the stature of our club to the next level and we are thrilled to add such an invaluable asset," said Lenarduzzi. "Paul comes to Vancouver from one of the most storied clubs in the world, which competes with the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea, in one of the world’s most successful leagues. He has an incredible international network and set of skills in both the technical and commercial areas that will no doubt help us reach our vision of being one of the best sports franchises in the world."

Barber, 42, is currently the executive director of Tottenham Hotspur, having joined the North London club’s board of directors in 2005. Reporting to executive chairman, Daniel Levy, Barber is responsible for all of Tottenham's key operational divisions, including commercial areas, ticketing and hospitality, international tours and friendly matches, and the club's soccer development area, which includes domestic and international coaching programs and soccer camps. Last spring, Forbes.com listed the 127-year old club as the 11th most valuable soccer team in the world at US$445-million, with an annual revenue of US$245-million.

"I have had the great pleasure of getting to know Paul and his family very well over the past three years," added Vancouver MLS 2011 co-owner Jeff Mallett. "We have met numerous times on both sides of the ocean, to talk football and explore possible opportunities in Vancouver. Through our correspondence, it became clear that Paul is the right leader to successfully head up our MLS efforts. Our entire ownership group is very pleased to have Paul on board in Vancouver, but perhaps none more than Steve Nash, who also knows Paul personally and has been an avid Spurs supporter since childhood."

"I have been hugely impressed by the ownership group’s vision for the Whitecaps, and for the significant opportunity that Major League Soccer represents throughout North America," said Barber. "All four owners are extremely passionate about the game and they are determined to ensure the Whitecaps provide an incredible soccer legacy - not just for Vancouver, but for Canada as a whole. This is already a fantastic and very well supported soccer franchise with a highly professional infrastructure and a genuine ambition to be one of the biggest and best run club sides in the world. I am looking forward to the future here in Vancouver, leading and learning from a very talented and highly committed group of people."

Over the next three months, Barber will focus on his role as executive director at Tottenham, where he is currently leading the club’s negotiations to secure a new shirt sponsor, as well as stadium naming rights partners. The native of North London will also continue to support England’s efforts to stage the 2018/2022 FIFA World Cup, where he is a member of the London host city group, and to sit on the board of Rose Bowl plc - parent company of Hampshire County Cricket Club - where he is a non-executive director. Barber and his family will relocate to Vancouver from March 2010 onwards, at which time he will be available to provide further comment on his role with Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

About Vancouver Whitecaps FC
In 1974, Vancouver Whitecaps FC played their inaugural season in the North American Soccer League, and in 1979, the club won the NASL Soccer Bowl championship. From 1987 to 1992, as a member of the Canadian Soccer League, Vancouver won four straight CSL titles. In 2002, the Whitecaps created a full club model that encompasses professional teams for men and women, extensive youth development and grassroots participation programs, facility development, and the Whitecaps Foundation to support specific initiatives related to health and wellness through soccer. Since 2004, the Whitecaps have won two United Soccer Leagues First Division championships and two USL W-League championships. In 2011, Vancouver will play their inaugural season in Major League Soccer. For more information about the Whitecaps, visit whitecapsfc.com.

Statement from Terry Byrne – Chairman, 1966 Entertainment Ltd.
Many congratulations to everybody at Vancouver Whitecaps FC on making one of the best signings to date for North American soccer in the appointment of Paul Barber from Tottenham Hotspur.

Paul leaves English soccer to bring a wealth of experience and knowledge in all aspects of the game, having spent several years playing a pivotal role in and around the England national team as the commercial director before moving onto working for the club he supported since childhood in Tottenham Hotspur.

He will be a key appointment in driving the Whitecaps forwards as they head towards joining Major League Soccer and this appointment will also help MLS and North American soccer generally as the game continues its evolution and growth within the world's most popular sport.

Paul's departure from England will be a loss to the game in the UK, however it is definitely a gain for the game of soccer in North America.

I would like to wish Paul and his family every success and once again congratulate the bright people at the Whitecaps who identified Paul and made the decision to tempt him across the waters.

About Paul Barber
Barber, 42, is currently executive director of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, of the English Premier League. He joined the board of directors at the London-based club in 2005 and, reporting to executive chairman, Daniel Levy, is responsible for all of the club's key operational divisions including commercial areas, ticketing and hospitality, international tours and friendly matches, and the club's soccer development area, which includes domestic and international coaching programs and soccer camps.

A former commercial and marketing director of The Football Association in England, Barber was responsible for developing programs for the marketing, communication and commercial affairs, including broadcast rights, of the England national team and The FA Cup, the largest domestic knock-out cup competition in the world. He also extensively supported the development of women's, youth and grass roots soccer in England securing long term and innovative sponsorship agreements with some of the world's leading consumer brands.

Barber's international soccer experience includes being a member of the England national team's official party that travelled to Japan/Korea for the 2002 FIFA World Cup and to the 2000 UEFA European Championships in Belgium/Holland. With Tottenham Hotspur, he enjoyed three successive years of UEFA's European club football competition between 2006 and 2008 as well as the club's two consecutive Cup Final appearances at the new Wembley Stadium in London in 2008 (versus Chelsea) and 2009 (versus Manchester United).

Barber's earlier career included senior commercial and marketing roles with some of Europe's leading businesses, including Barclays Bank, where he was a member of the Retail Board, and the US-based advertising and marketing giant Ogilvy & Mather, where he was CEO for the group's Europe, Middle East and Africa communications division and a member of the agency's European board.

Lifelong Tottenham Hotspur fan and native north Londoner, Barber is a Football Association qualified coach and former amateur player. He currently coaches a U-16 community team in London. He and his family will relocate to Vancouver in 2010 and in the interim he will continue to support England's efforts to stage the 2018/2022 World Cup, where he is a member of the London host city group, and to sit on the board of Rose Bowl plc - parent company of Hampshire County Cricket Club - where he is a non-executive director.

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SETANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN! – FREE PREVIEW NOVEMBER 27-29 OF SETANTA SPORTS - CANADA’S HOME OF INTERNATIONAL SPORT

One of our good friends passed this along... and we are doing the same now for you...

Three live Barclays Premier League matches including Everton versus Liverpool

TORONTO (November 24, 2009) – The spirit of holiday season giving starts this weekend with a free preview of Setanta Sports November 27-29 on participating distributors across Canada.

“This is our gift to soccer and rugby fans in Canada who are not yet part of the Setanta army of subscribers,” said Andy Shapiera, Marketing Manager, Setanta Sports (Canada). “The channel is quite simply the best in terms of live soccer and rugby coverage and we are offering it free this weekend to prove this point.”

The weekend will feature 18 hours of live or same day coverage from some of the world’s top leagues.

The live coverage this weekend includes three live matches from the world’s most popular sports league, Barclays Premier League. The match-ups are:

Portsmouth v Manchester United Saturday, November 28 @ 9:30 a.m. ET
Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur Saturday, November 28 @ 12:30 p.m. ET
Everton v Liverpool Sunday, November 29 @ 8:30 a.m. ET

The coverage this weekend also features live soccer action from both Ligue 1 of the French Football League and the Russian Premier League. In addition, Setanta will broadcast three matches on same day delay Saturday from the Barclays Premier League.

This weekend’s coverage leads into a December on Setanta that features 49 live events including:

· Barclays Premier League - 22 live matches in December, including three on Boxing Day
· Carling Cup – Quarter-finals (December 1 and 2)
· UEFA Champions League - final match day of the Group Stage (December 8 and 9)
· Heineken Cup rugby - early round coverage (December 11 and 13)

About Setanta Sports (www.setanta.com)

Setanta Sports operates the only dedicated International sports channel in North America. In 2008, the 24-hour, digital premium channel aired more than 1,500 live events, including European and International soccer, world-class rugby and other sports programming designed to meet the growing demands of international sports fans. In Canada, Setanta Sports is currently available to subscribers through over 20 distributors including, Rogers; Shaw; Cogeco; Bell TV; Shaw Direct, as well as in commercial settings such as sports bars and pubs nationwide.

For more information on Setanta including full programming schedules log on to setanta.com.

HERE"S A FRESH IDEA - NORTH AMERICAN SOCCER LEAGUE

Here's the release:

NEW MEN’S SECOND DIVISION PROFESSIONAL SOCCER LEAGUE ANNOUNCES NAME: NORTH AMERICAN SOCCER LEAGUE

VANCOUVER, BC - Formally announced two weeks ago, the new men’s second division professional soccer league slated to begin play next spring has announced its name, and it is a familiar one to soccer fans and players in the United States and Canada – the North American Soccer League (NASL).

NASL was the name of the men’s outdoor professional league that operated in the United States and Canada from 1968 to 1984, which played its final match 25 years ago last month and generated historic moments and memories for players and fans alike throughout its 16-year run. Legends such as Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Giorgio Chinaglia, Johan Cruyff and Karl Heinz-Granitza played in the NASL, which served as the birthplace for numerous men’s professional outdoor franchises still in action today.

"By becoming the NASL, we are paying respect to the players, coaches and leaders who were pioneers for men’s professional soccer in North America, many of whom remain involved and committed to the growth of our game in various capacities throughout the U.S. and Canada," said Selby Wellman, principal owner of the Carolina RailHawks and newly appointed president of NASL, LLC. "For that, we honor and thank them with a new era for the NASL.

"Further, by going with NASL, we’re obligated to operate our league at a high standard befitting a name that means so much to the soccer community throughout North America. Our intention is to offer an elite brand of soccer and outstanding experience for our partners and fans, something the old NASL did very well during its day. We will do the same in the new NASL."

Currently comprised of nine teams – the Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina RailHawks, Crystal Palace Baltimore, Miami FC, Minnesota Thunder, Montreal Impact, St. Louis Soccer United, Tampa Bay Rowdies and Vancouver Whitecaps FC – the league has submitted an application to the United States Soccer Federation for sanctioning as a Division II Men’s Outdoor Professional League.

NASL is also active in its search for a full-time commissioner and will introduce an extensive marketing campaign in the coming months.

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TORONTO FC NAMES PREKI NEW HEAD COACH

As we told you on the show on Sunday night. Preki is the new coach of TFC. Toronto FC made the official announcement today.

Here's the official release:

Toronto FC announced Thursday, that Predrag “Preki” Radosavlijevic has been named the team’s fourth head coach in its history, signing a three year deal. The 46 year old Yugoslavian-born American joins Toronto after spending three seasons as the head coach at Chivas USA. As per league and team policy, financial details were not released.

“We are very excited to make this announcement today,” said director of soccer Mo Johnston. “Preki has everything we were looking for, and we feel he will be a perfect fit with our club. His resume with Chivas is impressive – having made it to the playoffs in every season he was there. His experience is what we need to take this club to the next level, and we can’t wait to get started.”

Radosavlijevic’s contract with Chivas USA expired at the end of this past MLS season leaving him open to explore new opportunities. He posted a career record of 40-29-21 (W-L-T) and a winning percentage of .561, the top mark in Chivas club history. He guided his team to top spot in the Western Conference in the 2007 regular season, with a 15-7-8 record, missing out on the Supporters Shield by only two points.

Named the Coach of the Year by MLS in 2007, he has also guided some the league’s top players including goalkeeper Brad Guzan, Sacha Kljestan and Zach Thornton (the 2009 Goalkeeper of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year).

As a player, Preki has a wealth of experience. He served a short stint with Red Star Belgrade in the old Yugoslav First League and from there went on to play indoor soccer in the U.S. for Tacoma Stars and St. Louis Storm before being bought by English Premier League side Everton in the summer of 1992. He spent two seasons with the Liverpool based club where he played with current Toronto FC director of soccer Mo Johnston. After a move to Portsmouth in July of 1994, Preki joined MLS in 1996 when he became a member of the Kansas City Wizards. He played every season in Kansas except for one year with the Miami Fusion in 2001. The Wizards brought him back the next season and it was there he won an MLS Cup in 2000, along with teammate Mo Johnston.

Preki is the only player to be awarded the MLS MVP Award and the MLS Scoring Champion twice, winning both in 1997 and 2003. He still holds the record for all-time league leader in points scored (270 on 79 goals and 112 assists, plus an additional 25 points on 10 goals and 5 assists in the playoffs). He played his last competitive game at the age of 42.

Internationally, he wore the colors of the U.S after obtaining citizenship in 1996. He played a total of 28 games, scoring four goals – one of the most memorable was a goal in the 1998 Gold Cup which beat Brazil.

Preki will travel to MLS Cup with Toronto FC director of soccer Mo Johnston later today.

European World Cup Wrap-Up

Greece v Ukraine

Dimitris Salpigidis scored the only goal as Greece clinched a place at the 2010 World Cup courtesy of a narrow victory over Ukraine at the Donbass Arena in Donetsk.

Slovenia v Russia

Zlatko Dedic scored just before the end of the first half to make sure that Slovenia booked their spot for South Africa. Slovenia won 1-0 over Russia, in the 2nd leg. It ended 2-2 with Slovenia going through on a crucial away goal from Nejc Pecnik in the 1st leg.

Portugal v Bosnia-Herzegovina

Raul Meireles scored early in the 2nd half to seal a spot for Portugal in the World Cup 2010 as they beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 over the two games. Just like the rest of his former Canadian teammates, Asmir Begovic will have to wait until 2014 for another attempt at making it to a World Cup.

Ireland v France

France booked their trip to South Africa today after a 1-1 draw against Ireland today. Robbie Keane had opened the scoring against France in the 33rd to bring things on level terms over the 2 leg affair. William Gallas gave the french a leg up in the 104th minute drawing the game level at 1-1 and giving France a 2-1 win on aggregate.

Algeria seal last African place

Anthar Yahia scored a cracking volley for Algeria to give them a 1-0 win in their crucial sudden death play-off with Egypt for the final African place at the World Cup. Wild scenes were sparked at the final whistle as they ended a 23-year wait for glory.

I love it... I knew "The Desert Foxes" had it in them to beat "The Pharaohs" and claim the last spot. Mainly due to the sweet nickname. Algeria is going to South Africa.

2009 CIS women's soccer championship Spartans repeat as national champions

TORONTO (CIS) - The Trinity Western Spartans were crowned national champions for the second consecutive season as they defeated the Montreal Carabins 1-0 (4-2 in penalty kicks) in the gold-medal match of the 2009 CIS women's soccer championship at Varsity Centre, Sunday night.

Following two glorious saves by all-tournament goalkeeper Kristen Funk, the Spartans fifth shooter, first-year defender and fellow Calgary native Colleen Webber, sealed the victory as she sent her shot past a diving Sarah Thérien (Montreal) and into the back of the net. Funk had opened the scoring herself in the PK session.

With the win the 2009 Canada West champion Spartans improve their national championship all-time record to 10-1-1 and earn their third Gladys Bean memorial trophy in six years. They had also prevailed in penalty kicks in 2004, that time over McGill.

"Three in six years!" said Spartans head coach Graham Roxburgh. "It's pretty unbelievable! In fairness, we didn't play our best soccer this weekend but I think our hard work showed. It was tough playing against a team as good as Montreal."

Second-year midfielder Tessa Meyer (Surrey, B.C.) was named the CIS tournament most valuable player.

"I'm so honoured [and] we worked so hard as a team." said Meyer. "Our goalkeeper Kristin Funk is outstanding and to me she was the most valuable today. Just to be named that, I'm honoured and humbled because I worked hard and it's great to have."

This was the Carabins first appearance in a CIS final, earning their first national silver medal in school history. Montreal's only other CIS medal came at last year's tournament where they took bronze after a disappointing loss to the Brock Badgers in semi-final action.

Montreal outshot Trinity Western 15-8 throughout 120 minutes of action, however the Spartans recorded more solid scoring opportunities throughout the night with five shots on goal.

After a scoreless first half, 2009 CIS rookie of the year and tournament all-star Alicia Tesan had a good chance to open the scoring, however the Vancouver, B.C. native missed the wide open net, sending the ball over the cross bar in the 49th minute.

Montreal's best chance to score came in the 78th minute as the Carabins caught Funk out of her net, however the Spartans defensive line were there to keep the game scoreless.

Both teams posted solid defensive efforts throughout overtime as neither were able to create good scoring opportunities.

Funk, Melissa Mobilio (Coquitlam, B.C.), Meghan McKinnon (Langley, B.C.) and Webber were Trinity's four goal scorers in penalty kicks. Funk also stopped Montreal's third shooter, Chloë Sabourin, to put the Spartans up for good.

SCORING SUMMARY

TWU: 0-0-0-0:1 (4-2 PK)
MON: 0-0-0-0:0

First Half
No scoring

Second Half
No scoring

Overtime
No scoring

Penalty Kicks
TWU, Kirsten Funk, goal
MON, Véronique Maranda, missed
TWU, Melissa Mobilio, goal
MON, Catherine Delmas-Frenette, goal
TWU, Daniele Gerig, saved
MON, Cholë Sabourin, saved
TWU, Meghan McKinnon, goal
MON, Virginie Lévesque, goal
TWU, Colleen Webber, goal

Goalkeepers:
TWU: Kristen Funk (W, 0 GA, 2 saves, 120:00 mins)
MON: Sarah Thérien (L, 0 GA, 5 saves, 120:00 mins)

Shots: TWU 8, MON 15
Shots on Net: TWU 5, MON 2
Corners: TWU 2, MON 2
Offsides: TWU 0, MON 0
Fouls: TWU 17, MON 7
Yellow Cards: None
Red Cards: None

Players of the game:
TWU: Tessa Meyer
MON: Émile Mercier

TOURNAMENT ALL-STAR TEAM

Tournament MVP:
Tessa Meyer - Trinity Western

Tournament All-Stars:
Goalkeeper: Kristen Funk - Trinity Western
Defence: Émilie Mercier - Montreal
Defence: Chelsea Stang - UBC
Defence: Colleen Webber - Trinity Western
Defence: Mikyla Kay - Queen's
Midfield: Véronique Maranda - Montreal
Midfield: Tessa Meyer - Trinity Western
Midfield: Riley Filion - Queen's
Forward: Alicia Tesan - Trinity Western
Forward: Veronique Laverdière - Montreal
Forward: Daniela Gerig - Trinity Western

R.W. Pugh Fair Play Award:
UPEI Panthers

TWU men's soccer wins CIS Bronze

LANGLEY, B.C. (CIS) - Trinity Western University keeper Andrew Kowan from Richmond, B.C., made a diving penalty kick save and defender Cardin Davis from Salt Spring Island, B.C. hit the penalty kick winner as the Spartans won the second CIS bronze medal in program history with a 2-1 victory (4-2 PK) over Toronto at the CIS men's soccer championship tournament in Langley, B.C., on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

The bronze medal win gives the Spartans four CIS championship medals in the last five years. TWU also won bronze in 2005 and silver in 2008 and 2006.

"There wasn't an issue of motivation when you get to a match like this. For the four months that we have been together over a month of that has been with the boots on practicing so there is no point in getting to a match like this and dropping short. There is no excuse for it and I thought on the day that we were a good team and were unlucky not to have scored three goals today," commented TWU head coach Pat Rohla.

"We said early in the year that we have lots to be thankful for and you to play in a bronze medal match you have to be thankful for that and repay it in kind. So I'm exceedingly proud of the boys and our staff and I'm proud of how we presented ourselves. From first man to last man it was a complete team effort all the way through."

The first half was physically played with each team having opportunities, but neither was able to find the back of the net as they finished the opening 45 minutes tied at 0-0.

Trinity Western's career goal scoring leader Nathan Pogue of Seaside, Ore opened the scoring in the 63rd minute. The Spartans were rewarded after sustained pressure inside the Varsity Blues penalty area. TWU's Jordan Whitehead of Surrey, B.C. took a point blank shot from the left side of the box. Toronto keeper Maximir Luburic of Oakville, Ont made a two handed save, but the ball went to Pogue who was on the right side of the goalie area. Pogue hit the ball hard through a number of Toronto defenders to put TWU up 1-0.

Toronto tied the match in the 80th minute after a strong run up the right side by midfielder Geoffrey Borgmann of Dixie, Ont. Borgmann beat TWU's outside back and sent a cross to the far side of the penalty area where Alexander Raphael of East York, Ont. went high to head the ball past a diving Kowan to tie the match at 1-1.

Both teams battled back and forth for the remainder of the half with no one finding the back of the net.

In the CIS championship bronze medal match the teams go straight to penalty kicks.

The Varsity Blues opened the penalty kicks with Gabe Gala of Brampton, Ont. missing high. TWU's Pogue, Toronto's Geoffrey Borgmann of Dixie, Ont. and TWU's Paul Hamilton of Calgary each made their attempts to give the Spartans a 2-1 lead after four shooters. On Toronto's next attempt by Alexander Raphael, Trinity Western's Kowan, who was an all-star at last year's championship, made a diving save to his right, teammate Shawn Parkes of Delta, B.C. followed with a goal to give TWU a 3-1 lead. Toronto's Nordo Gooden of Toronto hit his shot to keep Toronto alive, but the TWU's Davis found the lower left corner to give the win in front of its home crowd.

TWU's Kowan made one save in victory, while Toronto's Luburic made eight saves in the loss.

SCORING SUMMARY

TWU: 0-1-1:2 (4-2 PK)
TOR 0-1-0:1

First half
No scoring

Second half
1. TWU, Nathan Pogue (2) (Jordan Whitehead), 63rd
2. TOR, Alexander Raphael (2) (Geoffrey Borgmann), 80th

Overtime (no OT - straight to PK)

Penalty kicks
TOR, Gabe Gala, miss
TWU, Nathan Pogue, goal
TOR, Geoffrey Borgmann, goal
TWU, Paul Hamilton goal
TOR, Alexander Raphael, saved
TWU, Shawn Parkes, goal
TOR, Nordo Gooden, goal
TWU, Cardin Davis, goal

Goalkeepers:
TWU: Andrew Kowan (W, 1 GA, 1 saves, 90:00 mins)
TOR: Maximir Luburic (W, 1 GA, 8 saves, 90:00 mins)

Shots: TWU 27, TOR 8
Shots on goal: TWU 9, TOR 2
Corners: TWU 9, TOR 1
Offsides: TWU 2, TOR 2
Fouls: TWU 15, TOR 11
Yellow Cards: TWU (2) (Brayden Volkenant 18th, Liam McAllister 51st), TOR (2) (Federico Vaccaro 27th, Gabe Gala 82nd)
Red Cards: none

Players of the game:
TWU: Nathan Square-Briggs
TOR: Maximir Luduric

WHITECAPS SIGN MIDFIELDER RICARDO SÁNCHEZ

For Immediate Release: November 18, 2009

VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced today the signing of free agent midfielder Ricardo Sánchez. The former Minnesota Thunder player has signed a one-year contract - plus an option - pending international clearance.

Sánchez, 27-years-old, joins the Whitecaps after spending the past two seasons with the Thunder. Last year, the 5-foot-11, 175-pound midfielder earned a spot in the United Soccer Leagues First Division (USL-1) All-League First Team after finishing fifth in the league scoring with 22 points. The set-piece specialist scored seven goals and shared the USL-1 lead in assists with eight, tying Whitecaps defender/midfielder Wes Knight. In 2008, Sánchez was named to the USL-1 All-League Second Team after scoring 10 goals and recording four assists in 28 regular season appearances for 2,161 minutes of action.

Prior to his move to Minnesota, the midfielder played the 2007 campaign with former USL-1 club California Victory. He had one goal and three assists in 25 league and Lamar Hunt US Open Cup appearances for the San Francisco-based outfit before the club folded at the end of the season.

In his three seasons in USL-1, Sánchez started all but one of his 80 total appearances for 6,368 minutes of action. He scored 17 goals and recorded 15 assists for 49 points during that time.

Before making the switch to North America, the native of Guadalajara, Mexico, started his career with Fútbol Club Atlas. He played with the Guadalajara-based outfit from 1995 to 2001 before having spells with Reboceros de la Piedad (2002), Club Celaya (2003), and Club Deportivo Irapuato (2004). The midfielder then joined Mexican giants Club Deportivo Guadalajara - better known as Chivas - for the 2004-05 season. In 2006, Sánchez split his time between Correcaminos UAT (Universidad Autonoma de Tamaulipas) and Club Tijuana.

A talented youngster, Sánchez represented Mexico at both the U-17 and U-20 international levels. In 1999, the midfielder was captain of the Mexican squad that appeared at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in New Zealand. He started all three matches in Group B versus Thailand, Ghana, and Spain before appearing in the 3-2 quarterfinal defeat to arch-rivals United States.

Meanwhile, Whitecaps men's team head coach Teitur Thordarson has offered trials to former Minnesota midfielder/striker Melvin Tarley and former Miami FC defender Zourab Tsiskaridze this week.

Canada concludes European camp - with no wins

Release from the CSA:

Canada's men's national team fell 0:1 to Poland today in an international friendly match in Bydgoszcz. Polish midfielder Maciej Rybus scored the lone goal in the first half.

"It is a very different challenge playing in Europe than in Canada," said head coach Stephen Hart. "The game here is much quicker and the playing conditions are different. We knew coming into this game that Poland was very strong at home as they lost only one home match during FIFA World Cup™ Qualifiers. Today, we learned a lot about what is necessary for us to play at the international level."

The play was fairly even throughout the first half, although Poland made it 1-0 on the nice finish by Rybus. A Poland cross from the left was headed forward to Rybus who accepted the pass with his back to goal, turned and volleyed the shot past Canadian goalkeeper Lars Hirschfeld.

In the 27th minute, Jaime Peters created space down the right side and curled a nice cross in on goal. Polish goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak, however, made the save.

Three minutes later, Poland nearly made it 2-0 on a free kick, but the play was called offside. Six minute later, it was Canada's turn with a rush on goal. Captain Radzinski played the ball through to Rob Friend, but Friend couldn't catch the ball before Kuszczak covered it up.

"I thought Rybus and (Ludovic) Obraniak were very good for Poland in the first half," said Hart. "Defensively, we struggled to deal with Poland's movement. At times we gave Dariusz Dudka too much room in the midfield. Those three players controlled the midfield in the match today."

In the second half, Poland had a good chance in the 54th minute on a shot by Dudka. Hirschfeld, however, tipped the ball over the crossbar.

In the 63rd minute, Canada made its first of three substitutions, bringing on Simeon Jackson for Friend. Jackson had chances right away, but was unable to even the score for Canada. Canada's other second-half substitutions were Josh Simpson for Marcel de Jong in the 70th minute and Iain Hume for Radzinski in the 85th minute. Radzinski left the match to a respectable applause.

In the 87th minute, Peters again opened the Polish defence, but was unable to pick out the streaking Simpson at the back post with his cross. It was Canada's last good chance before the final whistle.

For this match, Canada's starting XI featured Hirschfeld in goal, Mike Klukowski, Dejan Jakovic, Kevin McKenna and Paul Stalteri on defence, de Jong, Julian de Guzman, Atiba Hutchison and Peters at midfield, and Radzinski and Friend up front. With his 79th appearance, Stalteri moved past Mark Watson (78) into second place on the all-time Canadian list, just three back of leader Randy Samuel (82).

ASMIR BEGOVIC... THE STORY CONTINUES

Former Canadian international and current CBC soccer analyst Jason de Vos posted on his blog today a piece titled, The other side of the Asmir Begovic story.

Blaming the CSA has always been incredibly easy. Let's be honest, they've made a variety of errors (cue Yakety Sax). But I think in this case, it's fair to say that a certain player misled Canadian soccer fans.

While it's nice to finally "hear" some recent comments from Begovic, can I remind everyone about this interview.

Hey, have a listen. It's been a while.

Oh and don't forget, impossible is nothing!

WHITECAPS & FRIENDS FORM A NEW LEAGUE!

The owners of the Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina RailHawks, Miami FC, Minnesota Thunder, Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps FC, formerly of the United Soccer Leagues First Division (USL-1), together with St. Louis Soccer United announced today that they have formed a new professional soccer league to play in the United States and Canada beginning in April 2010.

The team owners yesterday submitted an application for sanctioning of the new league as a Division II Men’s Outdoor Professional League by the United States Soccer Federation. An application for sanctioning as a Division I League will be submitted to the Canadian Soccer Association shortly and applications to other sanctioning bodies in the region will be submitted as needed.

Joey Saputo, president of the 2009 USL-1 champion Montreal Impact, was recently elected chairman of the board of governors of the new league.

"This is not your typical new league," Saputo said. "Most of our teams have existed for years. We have united some of the best owners, teams and markets around a new vision for a professional soccer league in North America.

"We look forward to elevating our teams and league in order to give more opportunities to players, coaches, media and sponsors, entertain our fans and play our role in helping soccer truly recognize its potential in the United States and Canada."

Jeff Cooper, the principal owner of St. Louis Soccer United and spokesperson for the new league, said team owners have commenced a search for a league commissioner and are actively finalizing other details - including a name for the league, as well as its sales and marketing plans. The league intends to launch an extensive marketing campaign in the coming months, Cooper said.

In addition, Cooper said the team owners are in active conversations with several teams and organizations throughout the world which have expressed interest in joining the new league.

"This will be a league that will offer the best of both worlds – outstanding experience and leadership at the ownership level combined with the promise and ability to chart our own course for success as a new league," Cooper said. "It’s this structure that motivated me to bring St. Louis into the new league, and why I believe the new league will have a lot of success at launch next year and well into the future."

TEAM AND OWNERSHIP BACKGROUND:

Atlanta Silverbacks

The Atlanta Silverbacks have been members of the USL-1 league from 1998-2008. The team’s primary owners are Boris Jerkunica and John Latham. Boris is a serial technology entrepreneur. He was the co-founder and CEO of NetZIP which was sold to Real Networks in 2000. He is currently the chairman of Vocalocity – a VoIP technology company. John Latham is a senior partner at Alston and Bird – one of the top law firms in Atlanta. The team competes at the privately funded Atlanta Silverbacks Park.

"For ten years, the Atlanta Silverbacks played under the umbrella of a third party owned league. To put it simply, it just didn’t work. The long term view of the team owners did not align with the short term view of the third party league owners. Because of this, the Atlanta Silverbacks decided to drop out from USL-1 in 2009. We are pleased to be part of a new league that will be owned and operated by the team owners as required by FIFA." - Boris Jerkunica, Atlanta Silverbacks chairman

Carolina RailHawks

The Carolina RailHawks have been members of the USL-1 league for three years, having ended the current season in second place with a league -leading 17 shutouts and a club record of 16-7-7. The team’s primary owners are Selby and Brian Wellman, and Bob Young. Selby was the Senior vice-president of Cisco Systems throughout the 90’s, while Young was the founder of Redhat, as well as the online book publisher Lulu. The team competes at Wake Med Soccer Park in Cary, NC which is rated as one of the top soccer venues in the United States.

"Over the past two years we have been working tirelessly to re-structure the league to be owned and controlled by the owners in order to elevate our league on and off the pitch. The owners make substantial investments in their teams. However, the level of national level investment required has not been made because the league has always been owned, operated, and controlled by third parties. We simply want our league to be operated and managed like all other pro sports leagues around the world." - Selby Wellman, Carolina RailHawks owner

Miami FC

Miami FC is owned by Traffic Sports USA, the regional office of Brazil-based Traffic Marketing Esportivo, one of the leading soccer companies in the world. Traffic founded Miami FC in 2006 and brought the 1994 Brazilian World Cup Champion tandem of Romario and Zinho to lead the team. Traffic commercializes many of the top international soccer events in the region including: Copa America, the majority of FIFA World Cup qualifying matches in the Americas, Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana and Copa do Brasil. Traffic also owns a team/academy in Brazil (Desportivo Brasil); co-manages a team in Portugal (Estoril); and controls player funds in Brazil and the United States featuring established high profile players and top youth prospects on the U-20 and U-17 national teams.

"When your league is owned by someone else, you aren’t incentivized to invest in or be loyal to your league. That’s precisely why our league is so relatively unknown and has so much turn-over in teams. With this decision, we gain control of our own destiny and can finally structure and operate our league in a manner which truly positions us for growth and success." - Aaron Davidson, Miami FC president

Minnesota Thunder

The Minnesota Thunder was founded in 1990 by Tom Engstrom and coaching legend Buzz Lagos. Just finishing its 20th season, the Thunder have historically been one of the most winning clubs in all of North America. The Thunder claimed the Commissioners Cup in 2000 and have been in three league championship games winning the league title in 1999. The Thunder is owned by Dean Johnson, managing director and principal of Wingfield Corp. Johnson earned his B.A. with honors from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota and he earned his graduates degree from the Ruhr Universität in Bochum, Germany. The team plays in a newly renovated 10,000 seat soccer-specific stadium, which includes a full-field indoor training facility.

"After years of failed efforts to work and improve the current structure of our league, we must take control of our own destiny. When you are doing something that is objectively correct and good for the game of soccer, no one can question you." - Dean Johnson, Minnesota Thunder owner, Wingfield Corporation managing director and principal

Montreal Impact

The Montreal Impact can be considered an overnight success that is 16 years in the making. It is Canada’s most decorated soccer franchise, with two league championships, three Commissioners Cup, seven Voyageurs Cup and the only team to represent Canada in the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions league. Bolstered by its strong fan support, the club regularly plays in front of sold-out crowds at its privately financed 13,000 seat soccer specific stadium. Although the Impact is now structured as a non profit corporation, it will continue to be part of the legacy that Joey Saputo and his family will leave to the Montreal Sports community.

"We feel that the league in its current state has handicapped the growth of our team and the league itself; ownership and control of our league are critical to our individual and collective growth." - Joey Saputo, Montreal Impact owner

St. Louis

Jeff Cooper is the owner and chairman of Saint Louis Athletica of Women’s Professional Soccer and his St. Louis Soccer United group oversees the largest youth soccer program in the Midwest, St. Louis Scott Gallagher, which is headquartered at the Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park that in March was transferred to St. Louis Soccer United. Cooper’s overarching goal is to bring men’s professional soccer to the St. Louis area, which is rich with soccer tradition at levels from youth through college. A native of Granite City, Cooper played soccer under legendary coach Gene Baker at Granite City High School before continuing his playing career at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind. He graduated in 1991 from DePauw University with a BA degree in political science and with a JD degree from St. Louis University Law School in 1995. Cooper formerly sat on the board of the English League One football club Brentford.

"I continue to be committed to starting a professional team in St. Louis, where our club would be fully and enthusiastically supported by generations of soccer fans here in our region. I have been in close contact with the teams over the past year and am very impressed with and fully committed to their mission. There is no other way. The teams must own and control their league." - Jeff Cooper, St. Louis Soccer United owner and chairman

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

In 1974, Vancouver Whitecaps FC played their inaugural season in the North American Soccer League and have since been the hallmark of professional soccer in British Columbia and Canada. In 1979, the Whitecaps won the NASL Soccer Bowl and in 1983, 60,342 people came to watch the Whitecaps play Seattle Sounders in the first sporting event to be played at BC Place Stadium. From 1987 to 1992, as a member of the Canadian Soccer League, Vancouver won four straight championships before the club joined what is now known as the United Soccer Leagues First Division. In 2002, Greg Kerfoot took over the ownership of the Whitecaps and created a full club model that encompasses professional teams for men and women, extensive youth development and grassroots participation programs, facility development, and the Whitecaps Foundation to support specific initiatives related to health and wellness through soccer. Since 2004, the Whitecaps have won two USL-1 championships and two USL W-League championships.

"We believe that ownership involvement is crucial for a successful, healthy league. Securing a league license now is a preliminary step that will allow the teams to be in position to take further steps, should that be necessary. Our goal continues to be to pursue what is in the best interest of the sport." - Bob Lenarduzzi, Vancouver Whitecaps FC president.

More soccer on the radio

A change in format means more soccer on the radio airwaves in Vancouver. The TEAM 1040 has been broadcasting the early English Premier League game on Saturday mornings and one of the 7am PT time games. Now, with the change of format, TEAM 1410 will broadcast those games that don't make the 1040 airwaves. Including both Sunday games and the late game on Saturday. This weekend, catch the following:

TEAM 1040am

Saturday, 6:50am PT: Premiership Football - Tottenham v Sunderland

TEAM 1410am

Saturday, 9:00am PT: Premiership Football - Wolves v Arsenal

Sunday, 5:30am PT: Premiership Football - Hull City v Stoke City

Sunday, 8:00 PT: Premiership Football - Chelsea v Manchester United

In addition to the English Premier League broadcast on both stations, Champions league soccer will also be broadcast throughout the season.

For full details, check out TEAM Radio

SUNDAY NIGHT SHOW

Sunday night on Full-Time: Vancouver's Soccer Show will feature, as always, some Whitecaps talk. The Whitecaps and Impact are not playing in the USL next season (subject to change) and we'll get to the bottom of that. What's the latest, what's the news, what's going to happen? Meanwhile, down the I5 in Seattle, the Sounders will be in the muddle of their two leg playoff series with Houston and we'll connect with Seattle midfielder Freddie Ljungberg (see picture above). We'll talk playoffs, Sounders, Premier League, Swedish hockey players and perhaps underwear modelling.

It all gets going at 12 midnight (due to a Vancouver Canucks hockey game) on the TEAM 1040 in Vancouver. You can also listen online at www.team1040.ca

Canadian men add Poland to European schedule

Courtesy of the CSA:

The Canadian men’s national team has announced that it will face Poland on 18 November in Bydgoszcz, Poland. The match will kickoff at 17:00 local time (11:00 ET) in the northern Polish city.

Combined with the match against Macedonia on 14 November in Strumica (also a 17.00 local kickoff – 11:00 ET), Canada will have played 8 competitive matches in 2009. Under interim head coach Stephen Hart Canada has compiled a 4-1-1 record in 2009, including a strong run to the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup quarter-final stage.

The 56th ranked Polish side finished fourth in 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifying South Africa™ UEFA Group 3. Despite this disappointment, Poland has enjoyed a rich soccer history having participated in seven FIFA World Cups, finishing third at FIFA World Cups, in Germany 1974 and Spain 1982. Poland along with neighbours Ukraine will stage UEFA Euro 2012™.

Canada and Poland have faced each other three times in their international history, with Poland winning all three contests. Toronto has twice been the venue for Canada – Poland matches, including the most recent contest between the two nations, a 2:1 Polish victory on 15 July, 1998. Canada’s only match on Polish soil took place in Warsaw on 31 October 1974, a match Poland won 2:0. The first meeting between the two sides, a 3:1 Polish win, occurred one year earlier on 1 August, 1973 again in Toronto.

Note: The November 14th match against Macedonia has been moved from Skopje to Strumica.

NO USL FOR IMPACT AND WHITECAPS

Whitecaps and Impact have opted out of USL... the full story from TSN is here.

You can catch Whitecaps el presidente Bob Lenarduzzi on with our midday show here.

THE VANCOUVER RELEASE

After failing to win the USL-1 title and a Nutrilite championship, the Vancouver Whitecaps have started to make some off-season moves. Returning the Whitecaps this season is the team captain Martin Nash. Nash will enter his 10th season with the ‘Caps in what may likely be his last as the club will move to the Major League Soccer in 2011. I suggest and hope that if Nash continues his career in soccer following next season, he would make an excellent assistant coach with the MLS squad.

Meanwhile, leaving the Whitecaps are USL-1’s leading goal scorer Charles Gbeke, defender Lyle Martin and midfielder Vicente Arze. All those players were released on Thursday. On Friday, the ‘Caps released goalkeeper Diego, defenders Michael Ndubuisi Onwatuegwu and Marco Reda, as well as striker Aaron Wheeler.

The Whitecaps look like with the release of Gbeke, they are going young and fast next season. It appears Marlon James will be back, but it’ll be a chance for Marcus Haber to continue his rookie of the year performance in the sophomore season, plus a great chance for Dever Orgill and Randy Edwini-Bonsu to prove themselves.

The one thing the Whitecaps will need to improve on next season is defense and that it not lost on the Whitecaps management. With Nash returning, it’ll be interesting to see who will play alongside him. Ethan Gage had a tremendous year last season, before falling back into the residency squad this season. This season, Kenold Versaille, Nizar Khalfan and Tyrell Burgess have all been given an opportunity to play in the middle of the park in 2011.

One this is for certain, there will be a lot of players playing to make an impression, which could mean good things for the fan. Guys are going to be creative, energetic and fighting to make a Major League Soccer team here in Vancouver.

Montreal v Vancouver

Okay, so I've been getting a bit of stick for saying prior to the post-season kicking off that I didn't think the Whitecaps were going to be around very long in the USL-1 the playoffs. I freely admit that I thought they would have been out in the first round. I did offer this though, "I hope the Whitecaps prove me wrong and make a run." And so they have, all the way to the final, and I have been getting the comments ever since, including some of the players and staff of the Whitecaps giving me a bit of a hard time. Now as we prepare for the 2nd leg of the final, the Whitecaps are down by a goal and looking to make it back to back championships. Standing in the way, are the Montreal Impact. Surprisingly, I made this prediction in my season preview and in the April edition of Free Kick Magazine. The key phrase, "If the Impact can put it all together, Montreal will be a strong candidate for 2009 USL-1 Champions" and low and behold, they may be crowned champions in just a few short days. Ofcourse, I never would say I told you so, as I admit I am wrong as much as I am right... but I do like the fact that I did predict Montreal would do well. In that same issue and in this preview, I do say that the Whitecaps have no hope of title glory and they will have a struggle during the season. So while I was right on the Impact, partially right on the 'Caps, it should be a tremendous final leg on Saturday. The best part, regardless of which teams wins, is that a Canadian team will claim the title.

On a side note, Rohan Ricketts told me at the start of the season that "I would bet my house that we'll be in the playoffs." Can I still claim that he owes me a house if they miss the playoffs or because he's no longer with the team, it's sorta null and void?

-TG

LIKE TURD FERGUSON ONCE SAID ABOUT THAT OVERSIZED HAT... "IT'S FUNNY"

Any excuse to incorporate Norm MacDonald / Burt Reynolds / Turd Ferguson.

Have a giggle at this.

OH ASMIR!

Well, it appears to be settled. He's a liar.

I've mentioned this on the show a number of times, he isn't picking up our calls / returning messages.

The unfortunate part is that he was such a polite liar. And by that I mean he really sold it. Talking about the future of the squad, potential teammates, qualifying, etc.

Of course we got into the situation with Stephen Hart (essentially saying - he stays, I play). Could this mean Begovic knows that Hart will not be named the permanent coach?...

Or is he just a flat-out liar?

** Thanks for the link to the photo!

PS. That doesn't say Canada on his chest.

HOILETT & JACKSON SCORE IN CARLING CUP ACTION

Gillingham 1-3 Blackburn Rovers

David Hoilett capped off an impressive full debut with a goal as Blackburn overcame plucky League One Gillingham 3-1 in the Carling Cup second round.

The Canadian teenager was lively throughout and grabbed Rovers' second goal less than a minute after half-time as they eventually eased through to the third round.

David Dunn got the ball rolling in the fifth minute and Hoilett's goal gave Rovers breathing space.

It was breathing space they needed as Simeon Jackson pulled one back from the penalty spot 21 minutes from time, but Morten Gamst Pedersen's corner went in via an unfortunate deflection from Gills skipper Barry Fuller five minutes later to seal the win."

Let's hope Hoilett goes with Canada.

BEGOVIC CALLED UP BY BOSNIA... AGAIN

Looks like Ciro Blazevic has announced his squad for a pair of upcoming World Cup Qualifiers (v. Armenia and Turkey).

And a certain goalkeeper is on the list.

Will we get an answer on September 5th?


Keepers: Nemanja Supiæ, Kenan Hasagiæ, Asmir Begovic

Defense: Emir Spahiæ, Dario Damjanoviæ, Adnan Mravac, Sanel Jahiæ, Damir Mirviæ, Boris Pandža, Safet Nadareviæ, Mirko Hrgoviæ

Midfield: Elvir Rahimiæ, Samir Muratoviæ, Semir Štiliæ, Sejad Salihoviæ, Miralem Pjaniæ, Zvjezdan Misimoviæ, Zlatan Bajramoviæ, Senijad Ibrièiæ,Admir Vladaviæ

Forwards: Edin Džeko, Vedad Ibiševiæ, Zlatan Muslimoviæ

WAGENAAR FINDS A HOME IN SCOTLAND

Josh Wagenaar has found a new squad after parting ways with Yoevil Town last season. Wagenaar has moved to the Scottish Premier League and Falkirk. It is a 1 year deal.

Wagenaar is set to now battle for the starting position.

Competition will make Wagenaar a better player, it will also result in a stronger Canadian National team with a goalie performing at a higher level.

HOILETT OFFICIALLY A ROVER THIS SEASON

David Hoilett scored twice for English football side Blackburn Rovers following his landmark court case to obtain a UK work visa.

Hoilett was present for Rover’s reserve squad as they beat Leigh Genesis away from home. He scored two goals for the club.

The Canadian striker was refused a UK work permit in June this year. His visa application was turned down because he held no Canadian first team international caps.

But he had the decision made by UK immigration authorities overturned after he won a court case that ruled the nineteen year old footballer should be granted a visa.

The player is now expected to start the new season trying to win a first team place in the Blackburn Rovers squad after his move to UK was made permanent.

Hoilett has played the last two seasons in Germany for Kickers Offenbach and FC Pauli Hamburg.

STEPHEN HART THINKS BYE-BYE BEGOVIC

The Canadian Men's National Team (interim) Head Coach and Technical Director was on Full-Time tonight.

On Asmir Begovic - "I think he's leaning towards Bosnia..."

So the story continues to twist and turn. One month ago, Hart told us he was confident that Begovic would play for Canada.

Three weeks ago, Begovic told us "I don't want to switch..." Tonight, Hart thinks Begovic to Canada isn't happening.

We'll have the show podcast available at 1pm PT - Monday, August 3rd.

BEGOVIC CALLED UP FOR BOSNIA FRIENDLY

Bosnia and Herzegovina Manager Ciro Blazevic has called up Bosnian / Canadian goalkeeper Asmir Begovic for their August 12 friendly against Iran.

My understanding of the language is extremely limited - but from what I’ve found - Begovic has said he will NOT play v. Iran.

If that is indeed the case, it probably has everything to do with his current club situation since it looks like Portsmouth have signed the previously retired Antti Niemi to back-up the soon-to-be fit David James.

Begovic would certainly be loaned out to another club.

Squad named for Iran friendly:

Goalkeepers:
Nemanja Supić, Asmir Begović, Adis Nurković

Defenders:
Emir Spahić, Ivan Radeljić, Sanel Jahić, Damir Mirvić, Boris Pandža, Safet Nadarević, Adnan Mravac

Midfielders:
Dario Damjanović, Samir Muratović, Elvir Rahimić, Sejad Salihović, Miralem Pjanić, Zvjezdan Misimović, Zlatan Bajramović, Senijad Ibričić, Semir Štilić

Forwards:
Zlatan Muslimović, Edin Džeko, Vedad Ibišević, Admir Vladavić

WESLEY CHARLES RELEASED

VANCOUVER, BC - Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced today that defender Wesley Charles has been released by the club.

During Tuesday’s training session, Charles took exception to a tackle by fellow defender Jeff Parke and attempted to strike Parke. Charles was immediately dismissed from the grounds and training resumed.

"This is the second incident between Wesley Charles and a teammate in just over a month, and as a result, we have decided to release Charles outright," explained Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi. "As a club, we do not condone any violence on or off the pitch, and take such actions very seriously."

On June 12, during the latter stages of a Whitecaps home match versus Miami FC Blues, Charles was involved in an on-field incident with teammate Charles Gbeke. As a result of the altercation, Charles and Gbeke received monetary fines and were suspended for two matches.

Charles joined the Whitecaps on July 11, 2008, and played in 33 matches for 2,785 minutes of action over two half-seasons with the club. Prior to his move to the Whitecaps, Charles spent 11 seasons in the League of Ireland.

***
This is crazy, Sandro Grande in Montreal, Wesley Charles in Vancouver. I'm just waiting for something to happen in Toronto. Both Montreal and Vancouver have struggled this year and the frustration seems to be building in those camps. Hopefully these problems have been solved with the release of the Charles and Grande.

FULL-TIME FANTASY LEAGUE

Full-Time: Vancouver's Soccer Show would like to invite you to play in our Fantasy Premier League called Full-Time League, the official fantasy league of Full-Time: Vancouver's Soccer Show. The winner takes home a Full-Time prize pack, which includes the coveted Full-Time scarf.

Last season, Mike Martignago took the Full-Time League title. Can you beat Mike this year? Feel free to invite your friends.

If you aren't already playing the game then you can register at
http://fantasy.premierleague.com

Once you have logged in and entered your team, click on the 'Leagues'
link you can find on the right of the page. Now enter the code
264927-56391 to join the private league.

Enjoy the game!!

TEVEZ

Carlos Tevez completed his move to Manchester City on a five-year contract. Tevez will earn a reported £150,000 a week in wages - and to Kia Joorabchian, who will take possession of £25.5m for the "owners" of Tevez he represents. Okay, all that money, and two things, what is Tevez wearing on his head? A knit head band or a weird toque? Secondly... Tevez is one seriously ugly dude.

SPORTSNET GETS IT RIGHT

Rogers Sportsnet will broadcast Canada’s quarter-final match this Saturday 18 July from the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Canada’s match will broadcast live on all four Sportsnet channels at 17.00 ET / 14.00 PT. The Canada-Honduras match is the first of four quarter-final matches at this year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup.