Official World Cup 2014 Qualifying Thread (Blame It On RIO)

[Ozy_Flame]

http://www.tsn.ca/soccer/story/?id=407573

De Vos with some tough love. And bang on in terms of development. Howevr, I believe Canada needs more practice with Central American teams, and would benefit something Arsenal14 is suggesting.

Central American soccer style is different from European style. I believe either we increase the number of exhibition games against Euro countries (and leave tournament play to Central American countries), or we focus solely on Central American exhibition games if no adjustment to tournament play happens.

The only way we're going to even remotely compete for a WC slot is if we can keep with teams like Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragaua and Jamaica.

[shermanator]

Great article by deVos. It's a shame that a guy like him isn't the President of the CSA, although I'm sure the politics in a position like that would be enormous.

[RedCoffee]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

http://www.tsn.ca/soccer/story/?id=407573

De Vos with some tough love. And bang on in terms of development. Howevr, I believe Canada needs more practice with Central American teams, and would benefit something Arsenal14 is suggesting.

Central American soccer style is different from European style. I believe either we increase the number of exhibition games against Euro countries (and leave tournament play to Central American countries), or we focus solely on Central American exhibition games if no adjustment to tournament play happens.

The only way we're going to even remotely compete for a WC slot is if we can keep with teams like Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragaua and Jamaica.

All this practice costs money which the CSA never wants to pony up.

DeVos said it. Mandate costs money and is a loss in revenue.

[St. Pats]

Originally Posted by valo403

That's where you're going to point? Really? A country that goes bat#### for a couple of sports, two of which it plays almost exclusively, and couldn't care less about anything else? That sounds familiar doesn't it?

AFL and NRL games are packed, Super 14 varies by team and season to season and cricket has a decent following for big tests. AFL and NRL passion and attendance is about on par with what Canada has for hockey, and don't try to count that as two national sports because outside of NSW and Queensland people don't care about NRL and in NSW and Queensland the appetite for AFL is relatively small. Canada can add the CFL to it's list, which more than offsets the cricket following in Australia.

Now let's discuss Scotland. Yep, they have second and third (if not below) soccer. Well that's great. And they have some rugby. Okay. And?

The masses in Canada have a longing for plenty of sports, the fact that they aren't women's basketball (which absolutely no country has a longing for, let's see those packed attendance figures for your Australian league) and badminton doesn't change that. Hockey, football, baseball, basketball and soccer all have large followings in Canada. I can point to second and third tier leagues in each of those sports if you'd like, or I can point you to a sports bar on an evening with a big game in any of those sports being played.

Somehow you've confused the presence of top level sports teams with a passion for a sport. Oddly enough you've also pointed at the presence of lower level teams in other nations as some sort of proof, which is quite convenient. Canada doesn't have an NFL team because there's only one city (maybe 2 with Vancouver) that fits the mold of an NFL city from a financial standpoint. The same goes for MLB and the NBA. That's going to happen when you're a small country and you are talking about the absolute highest level leagues in the world.

There were plenty of examples and you chose to ignore them. Countries with less population by far and still with top level, 2nd level, 3rd level and beyond in the sports they are passionate about. Scotland with a population that probably ain't more than the GTA has an entire league of professionally paid soccer players. Two pro teams of rugby playing at the highest level. Plenty of leagues under that. Denmark with the same sort of population with tons of professional teams and able to compete on the highest level with a fraction of our population. Sweden with only 9 million people again with multiple leagues.

Plenty of other countries could be listed and you want to compare that with--oh yeah we have more people sitting in bars watching TV.

Face the facts. Sports in this country is horridly supported. You can go to a high school game of any sport and the crowd will be in the tens. Go to a Uni game of any sport and you might crack into a thousand or so. Meanwhile in some little hick town in the States they will get thousands for a game of anything.

Hundreds of thousands showing up every week all over the USA to watch dang near anything. 300 million to 30 having very little to do with it because they have so many more teams they support. They have sports engrained in the culture. We don't. As does many a country in Europe and Asia and elsewhere. Just not a Canadian thing.

Oh and that women's basketball league in Australia gives women a chance to play at the highest level. Women from that league have moved on to play in the WNBA. Where is that opportunity for women in any sport in Canada?

That's the real crux of it. There should be all kinds of opportunity for our athletes. There should be a least a bush league for basketball along the lines of the CFL. Certainly should be able to have a whole bunch of MLS teams. We are willing to support a far, far watered down product from the NFL in the CFL so why not for basketball, soccer and baseball? Or anything for women whatsoever.

Why do we have such pathetic support for our University teams? Are you going to tell me that in the US they have huge crowds at hundreds of Uni's for all kinds of sports because of their population?

[valo403]

Originally Posted by St. Pats

There were plenty of examples and you chose to ignore them. Countries with less population by far and still with top level, 2nd level, 3rd level and beyond in the sports they are passionate about. Scotland with a population that probably ain't more than the GTA has an entire league of professionally paid soccer players. Two pro teams of rugby playing at the highest level. Plenty of leagues under that. Denmark with the same sort of population with tons of professional teams and able to compete on the highest level with a fraction of our population. Sweden with only 9 million people again with multiple leagues.

Plenty of other countries could be listed and you want to compare that with--oh yeah we have more people sitting in bars watching TV.

Face the facts. Sports in this country is horridly supported. You can go to a high school game of any sport and the crowd will be in the tens. Go to a Uni game of any sport and you might crack into a thousand or so. Meanwhile in some little hick town in the States they will get thousands for a game of anything.

Hundreds of thousands showing up every week all over the USA to watch dang near anything. 300 million to 30 having very little to do with it because they have so many more teams they support. They have sports engrained in the culture. We don't. As does many a country in Europe and Asia and elsewhere. Just not a Canadian thing.

Oh and that women's basketball league in Australia gives women a chance to play at the highest level. Women from that league have moved on to play in the WNBA. Where is that opportunity for women in any sport in Canada?

That's the real crux of it. There should be all kinds of opportunity for our athletes. There should be a least a bush league for basketball along the lines of the CFL. Certainly should be able to have a whole bunch of MLS teams. We are willing to support a far, far watered down product from the NFL in the CFL so why not for basketball, soccer and baseball? Or anything for women whatsoever.

Why do we have such pathetic support for our University teams? Are you going to tell me that in the US they have huge crowds at hundreds of Uni's for all kinds of sports because of their population?

Nobody is stopping you from starting it. Model it after the WNBA, you'll make millions just like it does

[Locke]

Greece's interesting take on austerity....

Players on a cash-strapped Greek soccer team now wear pink practice jerseys with the logos "Villa Erotica" and "Soula's House of History," two bordellos it recruited as sponsors after drastic government spending cuts left the country's sports clubs facing ruin.

The amateur Voukefalas club -- whose players include pizza delivery guys, students, waiters and a bartender -- has raised eyebrows with its flamboyant sponsorship choice.

Near-bankrupt Greece is struggling to meet creditors' relentless demands to slash spending and keep the euro as its currency. As Greece heads toward a sixth year of recession, drastic budget cuts have hammered many ordinary people: Retirees have been left to cover their own medical expenses, children have lost school bus services, and sports teams have scrambled to find sponsors as businesses close under the burden of emergency taxes.

Brothel owner Soula Alevridou, the team's new benefactor, has already paid more than 1,000 euros ($1,312) for players to wear her jerseys. The team is appealing the game ban, but that doesn't worry the 67-year-old Alevridou, who says she's only in it because she loves soccer.

"It's not the kind of business that needs promotion," she said, dressed all in white and flanked by two young women in dark leggings at a recent game. "It's a word-of-mouth kind of thing."

Alevridou watched in disappointment as her team lost its fourth straight game, 1-0, despite her promise to players of "a special time" at her businesses if they won.

She watched quietly, holding a cigarette and wearing a straw fedora with a leopard print band, as her team struggled.

"The team will get better," she said. "I'm certain of it."

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/st...r-team?cc=5901

[shermanator]

Stephen Hart has resigned:

Canada Soccer‏@CanadaSoccerEN
Canada Soccer President Victor Montagliani announces resignation of #canMNT Head Coach Stephen Hart.

And Canada has hired a new technical director, to be announced in the next bit (hopefully it's not Stephen Hart....)

Gerry Dobson‏@SNGerryDobson
New #CSA Technical Director has been hired. Will be announced within two weeks.

[Locke]

Not surprised. That was a debacle of monumental proportions.

Its really hard to continue after going down like that.

[Matty81]

Ya definitely not all on him but he made the right move IMO. When you helm that kind of failure in any business you have to own it. Going to be a vacant position for quite a while I bet... somebody like Dasovic doing it interim while they look for a long term fit.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Matty81

Ya definitely not all on him but he made the right move IMO. When you helm that kind of failure in any business you have to own it. Going to be a vacant position for quite a while I bet... somebody like Dasovic doing it interim while they look for a long term fit.

Sky Sports understands former Birmingham and Fulham striker Paul Peschisolido is in the frame for the Canada manager's job.

http://www1.skysports.com/football/n...Canada-manager

Theres a name I havent heard in a while.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Locke

http://www1.skysports.com/football/n...Canada-manager

Theres a name I havent heard in a while.

A number of names have been linked with the vacant Canada post with Peschisolido the only boss to have managed in Europe before.

A. I wonder who those names are with no experience.

B. Who will be the technical director?

[Locke]

Goes back to Diane's comments regarding coaching. Paul Peschisolido? Really?

Go get yourself a Dutch coach, even a mediocre to average Dutch coach.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Locke

Goes back to Diane's comments regarding coaching. Paul Peschisolido? Really?

Go get yourself a Dutch coach, even a mediocre to average Dutch coach.

I'm not sure we want Aaron Winter.

[shermanator]

Originally Posted by Locke

Goes back to Diane's comments regarding coaching. Paul Peschisolido? Really?

Go get yourself a Dutch coach, even a mediocre to average Dutch coach.

After the year that Dutch coaches had on the Canadian club teams (Winter starting 0-9 at TFC before getting fired, Sinkgraven having his team finish last in the league and having issues with popular local kids at FC Edmonton), there is no way a Dutch coach is hired.

I wouldn't be surprised that a Canadian coach is hired. I think we need to reach out to find a European coach, just not a Dutch one.

[polak]

Does anyone really believe that coaching was this teams problem?

We have much greater fundamental issues that need to be handled first.

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by shermanator

After the year that Dutch coaches had on the Canadian club teams (Winter starting 0-9 at TFC before getting fired, Sinkgraven having his team finish last in the league and having issues with popular local kids at FC Edmonton), there is no way a Dutch coach is hired.

I wouldn't be surprised that a Canadian coach is hired. I think we need to reach out to find a European coach, just not a Dutch one.

We need an English coach. Look what John Herdman has done for the women's national team.

And we need someone with a considerable amount of respect from the EPL or the Championship league that is willing to get his hands dirty.

[The Big Chill]

Who cares where he is from? We need to find a quality coach who is the right fit for this program and team without worrying about what country he is from.

[VANFLAMESFAN]

Had Canada lost to Honduras 1-0 or in a valiant effort falling short, would Hart have been back for a Gold Cup or another WC qualifying campaign? I didn't think he did a horrible job by any stretch, but the stink of the final game was too much to overcome in my opinion.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by polak

Does anyone really believe that coaching was this teams problem?

We have much greater fundamental issues that need to be handled first.

A good coach can have some input in those fundamental issues.

"you guys need to do this and this and this and get me some damn players!"

Japan and Korea were a bit splinted and unorganized in the 90s and it took coaches like Troussier, Zico, Hiddink and Verbeek to show the Japanese/Koreans how to develop players. Sometimes it works from the outside inwards. Same with the US. Klinsmann is not there just to coach the senior team. He has his hands in all sorts of areas.

[Mango]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

We need an English coach. Look what John Herdman has done for the women's national team.

And we need someone with a considerable amount of respect from the EPL or the Championship league that is willing to get his hands dirty.

Herdman brought in his own trainers and a sports physiologist that has traveled with the girls since he was hired last fall. He's also a guy that relies on Xs and Os. He's meticulous and relentless.

Rhian Wilkinson wrote this fantastic blog in September on Herdman. It's a great read and a true insight into the difference he's made:
http://www.riseathlete.com/apps/blog...-london-beyond

I am under no illusions as to why the team went from last in the 2011 World Cup in Germany to third at these Olympic games. The reasons is connectivity created by leadership. This victory was the result of hours spent creating a common language, discussing and molding the team's identity. The coaching staff trusted us to raise the performance bar we had set for ourselves because they did the same thing.