Match Picks of the Week

Selected games to watch from British Columbia's top senior men's and women's amateur leagues.
Please check league schedules for late changes.

PACIFIC COAST SOCCER LEAGUE

Monday May 20

Vancouver Whitecaps FC   Peninsula Co-Op Highlanders (Women)
3:00pm Simon Fraser University

 Tuesday May 21

TSS Academy vs Vancouver Whitecaps FC (Women)
7:00pm Minoru Oval

Wednesday May 22

Estrella de Chile vs Khalsa Sporting Club
8:30pm Newton Athletic Park #3

Victoria Highlanders vs Victoria United
7:00pm Hampton Park

Thursday May 23

Vancouver Thunderbirds vs  Coquitlam Metro-Ford SC
8:00pm Thunderbird Stadium

Saturday May 25

Kamloops Heat vs Victoria United
7:00pm Hillside Stadium

Victoria Highlanders vs Khalsa Sporting Club
2:00pm Tyndall Park

Okanagan FC vs Peninsula Co-Op Highlanders (Women)
2:00pm UBC Okanagan

Kamloops Heat vs Fraser Valley Action (Women)
2:00pm Hillside Stadium

Coquitlam Metro-Ford SC vs   NSGSC Eagles (Women)
2:00pm Coquitlam Towncenter

Sunday May 26

Bellingham United vs Vancouver Thunderbirds
3:00pm Civic Stadium

Coquitlam Metro-Ford SC vs  Victoria United
3:00pm Charles Best

Kamloops Heat vs Peninsula Co-Op Highlanders (Women)
12:00pm Hiilside Stadium

Okanagan FC vs Fraser Valley Action (Women)
2:00pm UBC Okanagan

NSGSC Eagles vs Abbotsford FC (Women)
6:30pm Windsor Secondary Turf

Support Our Home Team

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Wednesday May 29

Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs Montreal Impact
7:00pm PDT BC Place, Vancouver

Whitecaps next on TV...

Wednesday May 29

Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs Montreal Impact
7:00pm Sportsnet One

Neither Vancouver Whitecaps FC nor Victoria Highlanders FC will field a USL W-League team in 2013. Both clubs however will play a full Pacific Coast Soccer League season again in 2013.

Canada's Other Teams

Waterfront Stadium

We can continue to dream!
Friends of Soccer
Stadium Now

BC League Schedules

CIS Canada West - Men
CIS Canada West - Women
Fraser Valley SL - Men
Lower Island Women's SA
Metro Women's SL
Pacific Coast Soccer League
PACWEST
SFU Clan - Men (NCAA II)
SFU Clan - Women (NCAA II)
Vancouver Island SL - Men
Vancouver Metro SL - Men
BC Soccer Premier League
Youth Leagues - Boys
Youth Leagues - Girls

MLS, NASL, USL Schedules

Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Toronto FC
Montreal Impact
FC Edmonton

International Tournaments

Today in Football History

22 May 1995
Canada wins 2:0 over Northern Ireland at the 1995 Canada Cup in Edmonton, AB. Paul Peschisolido scores both goals for Canada. Randy Samuel sets the national record for appearances, his 62nd match to surpass the previous record held by Mike Sweeney (61). On the same day, Canada’s women’s national team falls 1:2 to USA in a friendly match also in Edmonton.
(Canada Soccer)

wednesday, may 22, 2013

Strong effort returns, but wins elusive - Vancouver Sun
When Martin Rennie said earlier this season that he preferred to look at his Vancouver Whitecaps with a glass half-full approach, it was clear he believed in the potential of a squad struggling then to score and to get results. And so, with the Caps now having played 11 of 34 Major League Soccer regular-season matches, perhaps it's appropriate to ask this question: Is the glass one-third full or two-thirds empty?

Rare break leads to latest Whitecaps reflection - 24 Hours
Time to take a bit of a breather after an extremely busy week for the Vancouver Whitecaps FC With a 10-day break before the second leg of the Voyageurs Cup versus the Montreal Impact, and officially a third of the way through the MLS season, it’s time to take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly.

Danny Koevermans counts the minutes to his Toronto FC return - Canada.com
Danny Koevermans could be back for real next week and not a moment too soon for Toronto FC. The 34-year-old Dutch striker, who has been out for 10 months due to left knee surgery, is targeting the June 1 game against the visiting Philadelphia Union for his return. He played 45 minutes last Saturday in a reserve game against the Columbus Crew.

Not happy with Don Garber, NYCFC, and the NY Cosmos - Whitecaps Fan
At first blush the announcement today that NYCFC has been granted the 20th Major League Soccer franchise looks like good news.  Frankly, I am not that happy about it.

NYCFC revelation bucks the status quo for MLS - Fox News
MLS continues to grow, and the activity in the Pacific Northwest can be viewed as a microcosm for the recent success in America's top flight. A large part of what helped these clubs become instantaneous hits in MLS was the history they each brought into the league.

Whitecaps' Lenarduzzi says new MLS franchises will benefit entire league - The Province
Whitecaps president Bobby Lenarduzzi says the addition of two mega-brands to the Major League Soccer landscape will benefit the entire league. On Tuesday, MLS announced New York City FC as its 20th franchise, set to begin play at a temporary venue in 2015.

 Vancouver Whitecaps fail to press home the advantage - Vancouver Sun
Human beings are inherently bad at assessing risk. We happily walk across a city street without a care for all the lumbering tons of steel that are being haphazardly controlled by people we know nothing about, yet feel nervous when up in the air, being piloted by somebody who has gone through years of extensive training. The Whitecaps’ coach Martin Rennie certainly isn’t immune to these kinds of miscalculations and it seems he made just such an error in the 2-2 tie with Portland on Saturday.

Whitecaps trounce Co-op in women's soccer - Times Colonist
Peninsula Co-op Highlanders saw the future Monday. And her name is Summer Clarke. Clarke scored three goals to lead the Vancouver Whitecaps to a 4-0 victory over the Co-op Highlanders (1-1) in Pacific Coast Soccer League women’s action on the Lower Mainland.

youth soccer

Caledonia Kermodes win senior girls zones - Terrace Standard
The Caledonia Kermodes senior girls’ soccer team is heading to provincials for the eighth year straight following a tight zone tournament in Smithers May 10-11.

KSS Owls better Bears in valley girls soccer final - Kelowna Capital News
When it counted most, the Kelowna Owls delivered the goods against the Mt. Boucherie Bears. After losing the previous two meetings between the two rivals, KSS defeated the Bears 3-1 Thursday at the Apple Bowl to win the Okanagan Valley senior AAA girls high school soccer title.

Mustangs win Okanagan Valley championship - Penticton Western News
A 3-2 victory over the Kalmalka Lakers clinched the AA Okanagan Valley championship for the Princess Margaret Mustangs senior girls soccer team. The Mustangs were rewarded after a hard-fought win in Vernon.

Castlegar Pink Predators match up well versus Rossland - Castlegar News
The Castlegar Pink Predators and Rossland (Cartwheeling) Shooting Stars* U11 girls soccer teams enjoyed perfect soccer weather at Twin Rivers Park in Castlegar on Wednesday, May 15.

the local game

Organizer thrilled with May Classic soccer tournament - Penticton Western news
Twenty-two teams with over 400 players flooded Kings Park during the 52nd Pacific Western Brewery May Classic. Winning the men’s side of the soccer tournament for a second straight year was Williams Lake FC. They defeated the Penticton Tim Horton’s Pinnacles 3-2.

Heat women win Penticton tournament - Kamloops This Week
The Kamloops Heat head into this weekend's Pacific Coast Soccer League Premier Division action on a high after winning the Pacific Western Championsip (PWC) in Penticton. Kamloops — which is hosting the Fraser Valley Action at 2 p.m. at Hillside Stadium on Saturday, May 25 — posted a 3-0 record in Penticton and blanked the host team 2-0 in the final on Monday, May 20.

Rosters returns to Masters win column - Vernon Morning Star
Rosters snapped a three-game losing skid by shutting down Goplen Drillers 2-0 in North Okanagan Women’s Soccer Association Masters Division play Tuesday night at Marshall Field.

team canada

Broken shoulder healed, Lloyd on US WNT roster for rematch with Canada - WFP
Carli Lloyd is on the roster for next month's exhibition against Canada, the midfielder's first appearance with the U.S. women since breaking her left shoulder in mid-March. Lloyd was among 21 players called up Tuesday by coach Tom Sermanni for the June 2 game in Toronto.

U16 men return from 2013 Torneo delle Nazioni - Beacon News
The Team Canada Soccer U16 Men’s team has arrived back in the Great White North after a successful outing in the 2013 Torneo delle Nazioni in Austria and Italy. The 2013 Torneo delle Nazioni featured mainly teams from Europe and South America.

world football

Australia's A-League season to extend into May for the first time from 2013-14 - WFP
The A-League season will extend into May for the first time in 2013-14 in a move designed to bring Australia more into line with European competitions and to give domestic players as much preparation as possible for the World Cup.

tuesday, may 21, 2013

Whitecaps striker Kenny Miller could be off to Glasgow, but the Caps are calling latest report from Scotland ‘just another rumour’ - The Province
The Kenny Miller-to-Rangers reports persist and the Vancouver Whitecaps continue to dismiss them as rumours. About the only thing that seems certain on the Miller front is this: he isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

Rennie rubbishes Miller-to-Rangers report - Back of the Net
Vancouver Whitecaps coach Martin Rennie has dismissed a report from the Scottish Sun that says Kenny Miller is soon to agree to terms with Rangers for a third time in his career. “That’s probably about the 100th time that story’s come up,” Rennie said Monday on the TEAM 1040. “I don’t think there’s been a week gone by that that story hasn’t been in Scotland.

Is Vancouver Whitecaps’ striker Kenny Miller on his way back to Scotland? - Metro
Vancouver Whitecaps’ striker Kenny Miller could be on his way back to Scotland, at least according to a report in the Scottish Sun. According to the Scottish Sun, a deal to bring Miller back to the Rangers FC for a third time could be in place by Thursday. Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi admitted in a phone interview that he only found out about the report Monday morning.

Kenny Miller set to do a runner on the Vancouver Whitecaps? - Whitecaps Fan
News out of Scotland has Vancouver Whitecaps striker Kenny Miller leaving the Whitecaps and returning to Rangers in Scotland for a third stint. Our highest paid player has been laid up with a “hamstring injury”, but is this just the official story? What seems clear is that, even if injured, Miller has used his spare time carrying on an affair with his old lover while the Whitecaps were looking away.

Vote Camilo and Koffie for MLS Goal of the Week! - Whitecaps FC
Two great Vancouver goals last weekend means two 'Caps nominees for AT&T MLS Goal of the Week for Week 12 of the 2013 regular season. Be sure to vote for Camilo or Gershon Koffie online or text G2 & G3 to 22442!

Whitecaps' Camilo Sanvezzo has a new spring in his step - Vancouver Sun
A mid-week rest and a position change seems to have put some lively samba back in the dangerous feet of the Vancouver Whitecaps’ Brazilian dynamo. The 24-year-old Camilo has toned down some of the diving and theatrics that earned him scorn in his first Major League Soccer season. But the cheeky little Brazilian is still one of the league’s best at feeling contact anywhere near or in the box and spilling to the turf.

‘Caps drop more points at home with Portland draw - Whitecaps Fan
2-2 at home with a goal conceded late in the match? Sound familiar? It’s 2012 all over again. One thing that is clear in Major League Soccer: you must take advantage of home matches to run up points because it is very difficult to get any points at all on the road. Saturday’s draw meant the Whitecaps lost more precious home points.

Ref takes centre stage in Portland-Vancouver clash - The 11
Whitecaps conceded late to Jose Valencia in controversial circumstances on Saturday, as they drew 2-2 with the 10-man Portland Timbers in front of 19,823 at BC Place. On the game-tying play, in the 84th minute, the substitute appeared to bring a long ball from Will Johnson down with his hands – match officials were asked by a pool reporter what they saw on the play, and responded that from their view Valencia brought the ball down with his chest.

2013 MLS Tifo of the Week – Week 13 - The End Line
This week’s MLS tifo of the week goes to The Vancouver Southsiders and the Curva Collective for their Cascadia Cup display this last weekend. It was a great, large display. (See Photo Gallery)

Toronto FC's optimism is misplaced ... for now - Toronto Sun
As Dennis Green would say, the Reds are who we thought they were. No better, no worse, but hovering a spot above Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference cellar, where just about everyone predicted they’d end up ahead of the season. Cue track of Jim Mora’s legendary 2001 “playoffs” tirade.

Titus Bramble eying MLS switch - Waking the Red
With his contract at Sunderland winding down Titus Bramble is eying a possible move to MLS this summer and considering Toronto FC's habit of signing EPL reject defenders he could be a potential target.

Marco Di Vaio Among MLS Stat Leaders: Goals and Shooting Galore - Mount Royal Soccer
Marco Di Vaio is no slouch and did not come to Montreal to get an easy paycheck. The Serie A veteran is bringing his skills and experience to the Montreal Impact that seemed to have signed a top player for MLS.

Winning streak comes at the perfect time for Sounders - Seattle Sounders
Not long ago, the Sounders FC was among the top stories in MLS for the wrong reasons. After going winless in their first five matches, they were the last team in the league to collect their first victory when they topped the Colorado Rapids on April 20. Now, they have turned that tale around and are 4-0-2 in their last six and are rocketing up the charts in the Western Conference.

Chelis increasingly sounds like a man broken by Chivas USA - NBC
With each passing day of what looks destined to be his short time in MLS (whether he sprints out of Home Depot Center at the end of the year or before), it’s difficult not to amass an incredible amount of sympathy for Jose Luis Sanchez Sola. You know him as Chelis. Brought north from Mexico to be a leader and figurehead of a wayward franchise, the Chivas USA boss sounds increasingly like a broken man.

Yankees, Manchester City to be owners of next MLS club - CBC
The New York Yankees are partnering with Manchester City to own Major League Soccer's 20th team, which will be called New York City Football Club and plans to start play in the 2015 season. Manchester City, owned by Sheik Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, will be the majority owner of the team.

MLS Announces New York Expansion Team: New York City Football Club - MLS
And just like that, "NY2" is a reality. After three years of discussions and negotiations, Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber announced on Tuesday that English Premier League powerhouse Manchester City FC and Major League Baseball's legendary New York Yankees have teamed up to acquire MLS's 20th expansion club. The new team will be named New York City Football Club (NYCFC) and is expected to begin play in 2015. 

Beckham is MLS expansion story du jour - Soccer America
Now that David Beckham has ended his playing career, attention has turned to his post-retirement plans. Beckham's plans have become the MLS expansion story du jour. What we know is that as part of his agreement with MLS when he signed with the LA Galaxy in 2007, he has the option to purchase an MLS expansion team for $25 million.

M.L.S. All-Stars to Play … - New York Times
Word is that for the first time since 2005 a British team will not, repeat, not, play a collection of stars from Major League Soccer in the 2013 all-star game, which is scheduled to be played at Sporting Kansas City Park in Kansas City, Kan., on July 31. The league has yet to announce who the opposition will be, but probably will in the next few weeks.

New-look Fury prepare to defend W-League title - USL
For this first time in their history, the Ottawa Fury do not enter the season as championship chasers, rather as championship defenders. After a veteran-laden lineup led them to the W-League Championship in 2012, and several members of the squad joined the professional ranks, the Fury will begin their 14th W-League season with many new faces.

Peninsula Co-op Highlanders women suffer first loss of season - PCSL
The Peninsula Co-op Highlanders suffered the first defeat of their young Pacific Coast Soccer League season Monday afternoon. Losing 4-0 to a Whitecaps squad that capitalized on a slow opening half for the Highlanders.   “Our first half was poor,” said Head Coach Dave Dew. “We didn’t come to compete.”   Vancouver’s Summer Clarke, the leagues leading scorer, netted three in Sunday’s contest.

Kamloops Heat Premier Women Are Pacific Western Tournament Champions
Kamloops Heat Premier Women from the Pacific Coast Soccer League travelled to Penticton for the May Long weekend and walked away with Championship honors at the Pacific Western event.

Was it really the referee's fault? Was it really the referee's fault? Bringing a whole new perspective to the referee debate - Red Nation
Was it really the referee's fault? Being a referee has to be one of the toughest jobs in all of sport. In football, this individual has the power to change a match in a matter of seconds. A referee's decision should always be determined by a player's actions. Now this is not an article to further criticize officials in football. Instead, this article will try to defend the referees of our game.

Canada Soccer completes 2013 Provincial Referee Promotion Course - CSA
Canada Soccer held its annual Provincial Promotion Referee Course 17-19 May in Vaughan, ON. This was the fifth time the centralized course was run, with 18 officials from five Provinces. The course featured two days of intensive practical and theoretical sessions, held at the Ontario Soccer Association’s Soccer Centre.

the women's pro game

NWSL Attendance Watch: Week 6 - The Equalizer
This was the week that the NWSL had been waiting for.  Portland’s two home matches helped get the week attendance to almost 30,000 and also cross the 100,000 mark for the season.  FC Kansas City also proved that they can continue to have solid draws.  Boston, Washington, and Kansas City are leading the charge and now are the only teams getting over 80% of their tickets sold. Not all of Week 6 was positive.

Sermanni: Longevity, consistency key to NWSL’s success - The Equalizer
United States head coach Tom Sermanni has seen it all when it comes to the National Women’s Soccer League. Of course, in such a young league and with only eight cities, that hasn’t taken him long.

university and college soccer

Whitecaps product DeBoice commits to SFU - SFU
The Simon Fraser University men's soccer team has signed Spencer DeBoice (Surrey, BC) to a national letter of intent. DeBoice comes to the Clan from the Vancouver Whitecaps residency program. "Spencer is a very creative left footed player who can play anywhere on the left side of the pitch," said Head Coach Alan Koch.

canadians abroad

Simeon Jackson released; Marcus Haber on transfer list - The 24th Minute
Simeon Jackson will be looking for a new club after Norwich City released the Canadian striker today. In the end, the move up to the Premiership may have been a step too far for Jackson, after he had a solid few years in the lower tiers.

Haber scores again for Maccabi Haifa - The 11
Daniel Haber’s strike rate is an amazing goal-per-40.5 minutes. The Toronto native scored his second goal of the season for Maccabi Haifa. After coming in as a sub, he scored the 85th-minute winner in a 3-2 win over Hapoel Tel Aviv.

world football

FIFA celebrates 109th birthday - FIFA
The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) celebrates its 109th anniversary today. FIFA was founded in Paris on 21 May 1904, with a view to organising the world's most popular sport. The foundation act was signed by representatives from France, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland that day.

Peters on Champions League: The biggest show on earth - Sportsnet
In 2009 the UEFA Champions League final eclipsed the Super Bowl as the most-watched annual sporting event on earth. Research found that the final in May between Barcelona and Manchester United attracted an average audience three million viewers superior to the Steelers-Cardinals contest the previous February, and when overall figures were examined soccer’s centrepiece had outdrawn the gridiron game by nearly 22%.

Jose Mourinho won't coach Real Madrid next season - CBC
Jose Mourinho will leave Real Madrid at the end of the season after three years at the Spanish club, paving the way for his expected return to Chelsea. The Portuguese coach's final season at Madrid has been blighted by divisions and a lack of trophies, but he is free to leave three years early from his contract after the final match on June 1 without any compensation involved.

Champion Man United earns Premier League-record $93M from broadcasters for season - Canada.com
Champion Man United earns Premier League-record $93M from broadcasters for season Manchester United earned a record 60.8 million pounds ($92.7 million) in Premier League television revenue this season en route to a 20th English title. Deposed champion Manchester City, which finished 11 points behind United in second, received 58.1 million pounds ($88.6 million), according to figures released by the league.

Mexico's top league bans ownership of multiple teams in move seen as blow to Slim - WFP
The owners of the 18 Mexican first-division soccer clubs voted Monday to bar one person or one company from owning more than one team. The vote was an apparent move to stop tycoon Carlos Slim from expanding his growing influence in Mexican soccer.

City ready to unveil new kit after starting £72m six-year deal with Nike in New York - Mail
Manchester City will unveil a new first team kit on Tuesday as they kick off their six-year deal with Nike worth £72m. City touched down in New York for a week-long tour that involves two games against Chelsea but is predominantly aimed at strengthening commercial ties in America.

Steaua owner, ex-chief of staff, ex-minister sentenced to prison - Canada.com
Romania's top court has sentenced the owner of Steaua football club, the former chief of staff of the armed forces and a former defence minister to two years in prison each for abusing their positions and bribery in a real estate deal.

FC Seoul beats Beijing Guoan 3-1, advances to Asian Champions League quarterfinals - WFP
FC Seoul reached the Asian Champions League quarterfinals for the third time in five years, scoring three second-half goals to beat Beijing Guoan 3-1 on Tuesday night.

Australian football boss says it's not "a disaster" if Australia misses World Cup qualifying - WFP
Football Federation Australia chief executive David Gallop made the comment Tuesday, saying the 10-team A-League — which has a smattering of top players and several clubs under financial stress — was now "the backbone" of the sport in Australia.

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