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!

Canada's goalkeeping situation + more

Asmir Begovic is getting some good action to close out the season for Portsmouth. David James is set for shoulder surgery, which means that Begovic will likely start next weekend. He did do enough to get the job next week. The chance for Begovic at the end of the season has provided an opportunity for his to show his stuff of what he can do against some of the best players in the world. With that experience, does he get into the mix as the starting goalkeeper for Canada at the Gold Cup this summer?

His competition will try and show that they should get the gig and depending on how Stephen Hart wants to head into the tournament, they might. First, the competition and forgive me if I have missed someone, trying to find a Canadian goalie playing quality minutes outside of North America in like trying to find a needle in a hay stack.

Josh Wagenaar had a good string of games for Yoevil Town in League One. but did not feature in a long stretch of games near the end of the season before coming on for 6 minutes in his final match action on May 2nd, 2009. Hardly game ready.

Lars Hirschfeld plays for CFR Cluj. But playing is a hardly a word I would use. Featuring in very limited action during his time in Romania. Can he be ready for the summer?

Kenny Stamatopoulos is in Norway and so far during the season has featured in one match. Hardly someone you can have as your starting goalkeeper on a national level.

On this side of the water, Greg Sutton has been a mainstay in the program, but he's only played twice this season for TFC and has been beaten out for the starting job by Stefan Frei.

The biggest competition comes from the 109 year old (actually 41 years old) Pat Onstad. Who is once again proving that he has what it takes to play the game at the MLS level. Starting in all 8 games for Houston and providing 4 clean sheets.

The biggest question on Onstad is whether he still wants to play or whether Hart still wants him. he may not want to compete on the internation stage anymore, he did afterall, get a lot of blame for a certain goal in qualifying. Hart must decide whether Canada is making a run to win the Gold Cup or building for 2014.

If the decision is to win the Gold Cup, the choice is obviously Onstad, with Begovis backing up and learning. If it's to build for the future, Begovic is your main guy. I feel like the Gold Cup should be a building block for the younger players while continuing to build the core which features De Rosario and de Guzman. I would start Begovic and bring Onstad as the back-up to tutor the young netminder. The future starts now and it's time to figure out whether Canada can sink or swim with what they have.

Elsewhere on the field, I like the Canadian back line at TFC. I would love to see Adrian Serioux as the main man on the backline with David Edgar slotting beside him. With Nana Attakora-Gyan proving that he can play with MLS calibre players sitting on the right. While I like what I have seen from Jim Brennan this season, I think the left side is still up for grabs.

In the midfield, I would like to see Dwayne De Rosario, Julian de Guzman with Daniel Imhof playing a holding role, a job he's done very all season at Bochum in Germany. And to mix it up, Will Johnson starting all 9 matches for Real Salt Lake.

Up front, I'm going with Simeon Jackson, who is ripping it up in England and Rob Friend. It would feature a nice mix of size and speed.

Harper and Hargreaves vs. Canada

Prime Minister Stephen Harper staged a photo opportunity on Wednesday morning with Owen Hargreaves, the Calgary-born soccer star who plays for Manchester United in the English Premier League.

“Owen Hargreaves is one of Canada’s most famous and accomplished international athletes,” Harper said in a release. “Given soccer’s massive worldwide appeal, it is certainly refreshing to note that one of the world’s brightest stars is Canadian. … Thank you, Owen, for all you have done to shine the international spotlight on Canadian soccer.”

Hargreaves, who left home as a teenager to pursue his soccer career in Europe, opted to play for England over Canada. The 28-year-old has won 42 caps for England and was a key player for the country at the 2006 World Cup.

He was eligible to play for England through family bloodlines.

This photo has sparked major debate about Hargreaves and Harper. A good Canadian from here in Vancouver and proud supporter of the Canadian National Team, Massimo Cusano, wrote the following:

I am appalled that Prime Minister Harper took the time to meet with Owen Hargreaves while in England. Owen Hargreaves is an opportunist that thought selfishly about his own career instead of his country. The fact that Mr. Harper recognized this man is disgraceful.

As an avid supporter of our Men's National Team, I find it very disheartening to watch those that represent this country struggle while arguably our most talented players, Owen Hargreaves, Jonathan De Guzman and Daniel Fernandes, play for England, Holland and Portugal respectively. All this despite the fact that they were all born, raised and trained in this country for the majority of their youth. It is my belief that if these players wore the red and white of Canada, we would be celebrating a World Cup appearance in South Africa in 2010 regardless of CSA incompetence.

The story behind Mr. Hargreaves goes much deeper however. You incorrectly state that 'Canada only noticed him once he was gone'. In fact, Hargreaves unsuccessfully tried out for Canada's U17 national team. People may look at this as justification for his decision, however I strongly disagree. Owen was an underage player at the time and we all know the difference one year of development can make at that age group. During his time at Bayern Munich, he was approached by then Canadian manager Holger Osieck. Owen even appeared on a Sportsnet television interview saying that he was willing to represent Canada. But then came wind that England may be interested and Mr. Hargreaves became much more evasive. Being eligible to represent one of three countries (Canada, England or Wales) he meticulously calculated which decision would offer him the most personal gain, ultimately choosing England. In the end, he defended his choice by saying that he always felt more British than Canadian anyways. If this was the case, why did he participate in a Canadian youth team camp in the first place? He is a first-class hypocrite, not a first-class Canadian.

I have an enormous amount of respect for players like George Weah and Ryan Giggs; players that chose to represent their country knowing that they may never have the opportunity to play in the World Cup. That requires sacrifice. That is honourable. Unfortunately, Owen does not seem to possess those characteristics.

I have called to schedule an appointment with my MP to personally convey my astonishment, dismay and outrage at Mr. Harper's photo opportunity. I have voted for Mr. Harper's party in the last 2 elections. Unless he issues an apology admitting that his meeting with and acknowledgement of Mr. Hargreaves was indeed a mistake, he will not see my vote again. Many may consider this childish. How could such a trivial issue determine my future vote? But to call this issue trivial is to miss the bigger picture. With one simple photo, our Prime Minister has diminished the actions of all those that have represented this country, our country. We have soldiers in Afghanistan that are willing to pay the ultimate price for Canada; Owen Hargreaves did not represent Canada because he was not ready to sacrifice the size of his pocket book.

Warmest regards,
Massimo Cusano

Mike Martignago and Tyler Green will share their thoughts on the show on Sunday night. Full-Time is on at midnight, following the Canucks v Colorado game on the TEAM 1040.

Canada fall 3 - 1 to England in Cyprus Cup

Carolina Morace got off to a good start as coach of the Canadian Women's National team, unfortunately they fell a few goals short in the Cyprus Cup in 2009 losing to England 3 - 1. England recovered from an early scare after Christine Sinclaire scored her 99th goal as the Three Lions scored three goals and defeated Canada 3 - 1.

Despite dominating the early possession Hope Powell's side fell behind on 14 minutes, when a defensive mix-up allowed Christine Sinclair to take full advantage and give the Canadians a surprise lead, prodding the ball over Rachel Brown.

With the European Championship beginning in August, this result will instil a confidence in the Three Lions that they can achieve victory in a tournament environment and an unbeaten Cyprus Cup campaign will further boost their hopes of major success in Finland.

Canadian 'keeper Karina LeBlanc was impressive between the posts for Canada. The Canadians played better in the second half, but couldn't stop the dominance that England was showing throughout the match, eventually, the Three Lions lifted the Cyprus Women’s Cup.

Canada now moves on to face Japan on May 25th at BMO field in Toronto.


England: 1 Rachel Brown, 2 Alex Scott, 3 Casey Stoney, 4 Fara Williams (C), 5 Anita Asante, 6 Steph Houghton, 7 Karen Carney, 8 Jill Scott, 9 Lianne Sanderson (16 Eniola Aluko, 71), 10 Kelly Smith, 11 Sue Smith

Canada: 1 Karina LeBlanc, 17 Brittany Timko, 2 Emily Zurrer,10 Martina Franko (23 Sasha Andrews, 46), 3 Melanie Booth, 19 Kelly Parker, 6 Kaylyn Kyle, 8 Diana Matheson, 5 Chelsea Stewart (16 Marie Eve Nault, 46), 12 Christine Sinclair, 14 Melissa Tancredi

Scoring
England 3-1 Canada

England: Sanderson 32, K Smith 40, Williams 45+1

Canada: Sinclair 14

Canada reaches Cyprus Cup final with 2 : 0 win over Russia

Canada’s women’s national team will get the opportunity to defend their 2008 Cyprus Women's Cup title after defeating Russia 2-0 in the final group game. The Canadians were lifted past a spirited Russian side on goals from captain Christine Sinclair and Melissa Tancredi. Sinclair’s goal, the 98th of her career, moves her closer to the century mark for goals.

I know that women's soccer doesn't get a lot of attention, but Christine Sinclair has quietly been Canada's best player, period. She is closing in on 100 goals and may be able to achieve that in the final match. That is an achievement everyone should stand up and applaud.

Canada will now face England in the 12 March final.

-TG

Sorry Ottawa, you aren't getting an MLS franchise

So Barcelona seems to wavering on the idea of joining the Miami bid for an MLS franchise. What was once regarded as a 'lock' now seems like it might not even get off the ground. I'm not going to get into whether they will or won't get a franchise -- I still think that they are one of the favourites to secure a franchise -- but what I do want to touch on is the fact that because Miami and Barcelona may be in trouble, people in Ottawa have all of a sudden decided they are the next best thing and Eugene Melnyk's bid is terrific. Well, I'm here to send you back down to earth. Ottawa will not get an MLS franchise, not in 2011, not in 2013 and probably not in 2018.

First off, Ottawa does not have the best soccer tradition. They never had a team in the NASL, and while they had a team in the Canadian Soccer League for a few years, they never really wowed a large crowd. People may try point to the U20 World Cup held in Ottawa as proof that they can bring out a crowd, but the reality is, many of those were tourists from other countries and people who always show up for big events.

Secondly, the government is still deciding if they want to build a stadium, either a new one in Kanata or revive Frank Clair Stadium. Ultimately, that decision will be made by the government, and not just one level of government but 3 different levels. It's tough enough to get one level to agree to something (see Whitecaps Waterfront Stadium) let alone three levels. The other problem is that a recent poll conducted by the Ottawa Citizen showed that most Ottawa residents would prefer to have the stadium situated at the Lansdowne Park location. Only 15% chose the Kanata site. That's a serious blow to the chances of the man behind the Ottawa bid, Eugene Melnyk, assuming the government actually listens to its residents. The people I have talked to who cover sports in Ottawa think that a stadium in Kanata would effectively kill the franchise before it even got off the ground.

The other issue that makes the Ottawa bid a failure is Melnyk's business proposal, which makes no sense whatsoever. According to my sources, Melnyk wants to invest $80 Million in a stadium and $40 Million in a team. Toronto FC, one of the most successful clubs in the MLS, makes $2 Million per year. If Ottawa and Melnyk match that, in order to make their money back, Ottawa's franchise would need a 60-year run before Melnyk even makes his principal back. That's not a smart business decision in any business.

Finally, I'm not much for conspiracy theories, but there are rumours circulating that the only reason Eugene Melnyk is pursuing an MLS franchise is to cut the CFL revival effort off at the pass. According to a source, the Sens would love to own and control all sports entertainment in Ottawa and are trying to pre-empt the CFL group. My source says that they would be "absolutely shocked if Ottawa got a team and even more shocked if they it actually kicked off".

So there you have it -- why Ottawa won't be getting an MLS franchise. I don't think the Melnyk bid will pass. Sorry Ottawa fans.

-TG

'Caps send Seven to U20 team

Vancouver Whitecaps FC, in conjunction with the Canadian Soccer Association, announced today that goalkeeper Julien Latendresse-Lévesque, defender Adam Straith, midfielders Philippe Davies and Ethan Gage, and strikers Randy Edwini-Bonsu, Marcus Haber, and Kyle Porter have all received call-ups to Canada's U-20 men's national team.

The septuple will be part of head coach Tony Fonseca's 20-player squad that will participate in next month's CONCACAF U-20 Championship in Trinidad & Tobago. Playing in Group B, Canada face hosts Trinidad & Tobago (March 7), Mexico (March 9), and Costa Rica (March 11), with the squad needing to finish in the top two in order to book their place at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt later this year.

"The final camp has arrived and we are going to use it for fine tuning," Fonseca told CanadaSoccer.com. "We are aware of the difficulties of the competition. The opponents are very strong and we know that there is no room for mistakes. This team is ambitious and will be ready to fight for a spot for Egypt 2009."

Haber, 20-years-old, joins the U-20 squad after signing a one-year contract – plus an option – with the Whitecaps on February 11. The native of Vancouver, BC, was part of the team's three recent training camps, and started for Canada when they hosted the U-20 World Cup in 2007.

Davies, 18, makes the team after appearing in the U-20 side's last two camps in Florida. The native of Longueuil, Quebec, who was a member of the inaugural Whitecaps Residency squad, scored in a 3-0 non-sanctioned international friendly win over Haiti on December 18, 2008, before earning a start in a 1-0 friendly defeat to USA U-20's on December 22, 2008.

Edwini-Bonsu, 18, returns to the side after taking part in two U-20 camps. The Edmonton, Alberta, native was a substitute in a 1-1 friendly draw with Switzerland U-20's on November 26, 2008, before scoring 11 goals in five starts during the Residency team's undefeated tour of Japan in December 2008.

Gage, 17, returns to the U-20 squad after taking part in last December's training camp in Florida. Born in Cowansville, Quebec, but raised in Cochrane, Alberta, the midfielder played in the 3-0 win over Haiti on December 18 and the 1-0 defeat to USA U-20's on December 22.

Straith, 18, will also be part of the Canadian side after participating in all three of the team's preparation camps. The Residency centre back is currently on loan to Germany's FC Energie Cottbus and has featured in the club's U-19 and U-23 sides. The Victoria, BC, native score his first U-20 international goal in a 1-1 friendly draw with Switzerland U-20's on November 26, 2008.

Porter, 19, earns a spot in the squad after impressing Fonseca at the team's last training camp in Florida in late January. The native of Mississauga, Ontario, who is also on loan to Energie Cottbus, scored five goals and recorded one assist in 10 United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League appearances for Whitecaps Residency in 2008.

Latendresse-Lévesque, who turns 18 on Friday, attended the team's Florida training camp last December, having previously represented Canada at the U-17 international level. The native of Chambly, Quebec, joined the Residency program last September and was part of the team's successful tour of Japan last December.

Also taking part in Trinidad & Tobago 2009 is Residency striker Dever Orgill. The 18-year-old native of Port Antonio, Jamaica, scored six goals during the Caribbean zone qualifier and will now look to help Jamaica when they face El Salvador, USA, and the winner of a playoff between Honduras and Saint Vincent & the Grenadines in Group A.

The top two teams in each group will advance to the March 13 semifinals, as well as qualify for Egypt 2009. The third-place match and final are set for March 15. Canada have participated in half of the 16 U-20 World Cup tournaments that have taken place since 1977, including each of the last four finals since Argentina 2001.

courtesy of the Vancouver Whitecaps

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