BC Soccer News, Monday, March 14, 2016

MLS MATCHDAY #2

SPORTING KANSAS CITY  2   WHITECAPS FC  1

SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016

CHILDREN’S MERCY PARK, KANSAS CITY, KS

WHITECAPS FC & MLS NEWS

MLS Matchday #2 – Sporting Kansas City  2   Vancouver Whitecaps  1BC Soccer Web
ALL of the match highlights, roundups and news from Saturday’s match between Sporting KC & Vancouver Whitecaps.

Whitecaps in danger of digging a deep hole early in the seasonVancouver Sun
It’s probably too early to be pushing the panic button just two games into a 34-game MLS season.

Whitecaps trade Darren Mattocks to PortlandThe Province
The Darren Mattocks saga is over. Well, almost. All that’s left is official word on his trade from the Whitecaps to the Portland Timbers, and the small matter of Mattocks facing his former-team-turned-bitter-rival on May 7, May 22 and Oct. 23.

Were Whitecaps right to dump Beitashour, Koffie?Sportsnet
When it comes to player acquisitions, Vancouver Whitecaps coach Carl Robinson has done quite well, snatching up all sorts of interesting and dynamic players up from Central and South America, and from around Major League Soccer.

The Whitecaps Have a Problem at Right BackEighty-Six Forever
It’s only two matches into the season, but I think it’s safe to say the Whitecaps should be worried about the right back position. The ‘Caps traded MLS veteran Steven Beitashour to TFC in the off-season, reportedly due to price concerns. Namely, TFC was willing to pay what Vancouver wasn’t. The ‘Caps already had the young Jordan Smith on the roster, but also acquired 21 year old Fraser Aird on loan from Scottish club Rangers FC.

Where is Nico? Eighty-Six Forever
This season, I was looking forward to seeing what Nico could offer this club. With the prospect of Morales playing alongside Matias Laba, I saw an opportunity for Mezquida to see more regular minutes, playing in the #10 position. As of yet, we have not seen Nico play. With the reply from him last night, it would appear that he is ready.

Coming to Vancouver a ‘perfect move,’ says new ‘Caps midfielder Andrew Jacobson Whitecaps FC
Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced on Friday that the club has acquired Jacobson from New York City FC in exchange for targeted allocation money. The 30-year-old midfielder was born in Florida, before moving to Palo Alto, California at the age of seven.

Jacobson bolsters the Whitecaps’ midfieldThe Province
Help is on the way, although not at the position that concerns Whitecaps fans the most through two MLS games. While their right-back struggles continued in Saturday’s 2-1 loss at Sporting Kansas City — this time Jordan Smith having a nightmare first half — the Caps have strengthened in central midfield.

A wild weekend demonstrates MLS’s parity – and shows no one is safe The Guardian
It’s early days as the season enters its second week but already there are signs that pre-season favourites may not have things their own way.

MLS Week 2 Recap, Highlights: Unexpected results Empire of Soccer
Major League Soccer completed the second week of its 2016 season on Sunday, and interesting scorelines abounded. Week two was a sharp rebuke to anyone who thought they could predict results in MLS.

Giovinco has goal and assist, Toronto FC ties NYCFC 2-2Metro
Sebastian Giovinco scored in the 76th minute and Toronto FC tied New York City FC 2-2 on Sunday in the first game of the season at Yankee Stadium. Giovinco, the reigning Landon Donovan MLS MVP, has two goals and two assists in two games this season.

Toronto FC shows resolve in strong comeback drawSportsnet
Toronto FC is still searching for its first win against New York City FC, but the Reds can take great comfort and pride from their 2-2 draw at Yankee Stadium on Sunday evening.

Vieira, NYCFC “really pleased” with TFC draw despite letting 2-0 lead slipMLS
The result was similar to so many from a year ago, with New York City FC building a lead only to concede late. But the feeling inside the locker room is different following a 2-2 draw with Toronto FC Sunday at Yankee Stadium.

New York City fans left stranded over ticket farce in Toronto draw ESPN FC
New York City FC fans were up in arms after new ticketing measures caused chaos during the Major League Soccer game against Toronto FC on Sunday.

Time has come for MLS teams to fear Impact Sportsnet
Mauro Biello’s men have picked up right where they left off last year. In their season opener last weekend, they beat the Whitecaps 3-2 in Vancouver, and on Saturday they won 3-0 over the New York Red Bulls, last year’s MLS Supporters’ Shield champions, in their home opener.

Armchair Javier : Impact beat the Red Bulls 3-0 Mount Royal Soccer
Another game and another win for the Montreal Impact. For the second game in a row, the Bleu-Blanc-Noir score 3 goals in a game including goals from Ignacio Piatti, Dominic Oduro and Anthony Jackson-Hamel. Evan Bush had a clean sheet in what was a great performance by the keeper and the whole squad as a whole. Beating the New York Red Bulls is no small feat though the season is still very young.

Montreal Impact make a statement; Giovinco and Wondolowski shineESPN FC
Two games into the 2016 season, the Montreal Impact has walked away with wins after playing two of the league’s presumed MLS contenders. Last week, the Impact won in Vancouver; this week, it handed the Red Bulls a 3-0 thumping at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal.

Maple Leaf Soccer: A 2016 Canadians in MLS round-up (Wk 2)AFTN
It was certainly a mixed week for Canadian teams in Major League Soccer. A win, a draw and a defeat was how the results ran, but individually there were some standout performances from Canadian players in the league.

San Jose Earthquakes 2, Portland Timbers 1 | MLS Match RecapMLS
Chris Wondolowski started things off, and Quincy Amarikwa polished off the Portland Timbers in fine fashion with a classy, long-distance chip in the San Jose Earthquakes’ 2-1 home victory Sunday afternoon at Avaya Stadium.

Quakes fell Timbers 2-1Prost Amerika
The San Jose Earthquakes hosted the Portland Timbers at Avaya Stadium in wet, overcast conditions on Sunday, March 13th that looked more customary to Portland than San Jose. The Quakes were unphased by the slick surface though as they upset the defending MLS champions. Although they were outshot 16-8, San Jose held on to their 2-0 lead enroute to a 2-1 win.

RSL sinks Sounders on controversial Olave goalSBI
The Seattle Sounders were minutes away from their first point of the season at Rio Tinto Stadium, but a controversial no-call on the goal line saw all three points go to Real Salt Lake.

Sounders’ dedication to youth reveals lack of depth vs RSLESPN Radio
It was just this week that Sounders general manager Garth Lagerwey reiterated confidence in the team, saying that “when you put our best 11 out there, right now we’re pretty solid. I don’t see any holes.” He also expressed that the Sounders have yet to make any major signings because they hope to build out the depth chart with young players that they’ve acquired in the past and in the latest MLS SuperDraft.

Manchester United sign Red Bull Academy product Olosunde – Empire of Soccer
The New York Red Bulls signed seven Homegrown players this offseason — but their biggest fish didn’t take the bait. After months of flirtation and conversation, Manchester United have completed a move for Red Bull Academy fullback, Matthew Olosunde.

Steve Duin: Power, profits and the Timbers’ pyramidOregonian
Youth soccer in Oregon is an ongoing experience in turf wars, delusional parental ambitions, exorbitant fees, and conflicts of interest. And for better or worse – and money, branding and influence – the Timbers have taken charge of the game.

Television is only part of new media ecosystem for MLSSoccer America
Seth Bacon, MLS’s senior vice president, Media, was encouraged by the national television viewing numbers for opening day in particular but all the interest in the league more generally.

 Capture the  game in HD using aerial video, book now at www.gamevision.ca!

BC SOCCER NEWS

Whitecaps FC 2 earn scoreless draw versus Simon Fraser University to stay undefeated in preseasonWhitecaps FC
Head coach Alan Koch, who previously spent seven years at the helm for SFU before joining WFC2 at the beginning of 2015, fielded a starting lineup featuring seven Canadians and four Residency products.

BC Soccer Assoc. is Now Accepting Candidates for its Board of DirectorsBCSA
BC Soccer Assoc. is accepting candidates for its Board of Directors for terms commencing June 11, 2016. Prospective candidates are invited to review the information provided on the BC Soccer web site www.bcsoccer.net. Candidates who provide notice to BC Soccer Assoc. of their intent to stand for election by May 1, 2016 will have their applications circulated to the membership in early May.

The BC Soccer Web Guide to Empire Field BC Soccer Web
Empire Fields and Plateau Sports Park is the lofty and formal name given to Vancouver’s newest addition to the soccer scene. Yet, anyone who’s ever kicked or carried both kinds of footballs around these parts knows the place by heart.

Introducing BC Soccer Web SyndicationBC Soccer Web
You can now add BC Soccer Web news to your website simply by adding our new RSS Feed! Find out more.

Send your Soccer News to BC Soccer Web! BC Soccer Web
BC Soccer Web is the hub for soccer in British Columbia. We want to share your soccer news with the entire province, and you can help by letting us know! We want your match reports, club news, league standings, and info on upcoming tournaments and clinics. Whether you submit links to existing news on the web, or your own original writing, we want to share it with the soccer community in B.C.

CANADA vs. MEXICO, March 25, 2016 @ BC PLACE STADIUM. Buy Tickets Today!

CANADA SOCCER NEWS

Canada advances to U17 Women’s World Cup with 4-2 win over Haiti Winnipeg Free Press
Lauren Raimondo scored a pair of goals and Canada qualified for the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup with a 4-2 win over Haiti on Sunday in the third-place game at the CONCACAF women’s U17 soccer championship.

Canada’s U-17s finish a good week for women’s program by qualifying for World Cup the11.ca
A 4-2 win for the U-17s over Haiti in the third-place game of the CONCACAF Championships wrapped up what could be called a banner week for Canadian women’s soccer.

Proposed Canadian league nears ‘rubber hits the road’ stage, Montagliani saysYahoo Sports
In an interview with Yahoo Canada Sports, Montagliani said he believes better days are ahead for FIFA under Infantino. Despite being a soccer insider, he’s someone who will bring some respect to the organization, Montagliani added, after years of shady dealings under Sepp Blatter that have spectacularly come to light in recent years.

Veteran de Guzman to be honoured on 25 March CSA
Canada will face Mexico in 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Qualifiers on 25 March at BC Place in Vancouver before traveling to Estadio Azteca a few days later. If Canada wants to progress to the “Hex” and make a statement to the rest of CONCACAF, these two games would be the ideal spot to do so and Canada’s most experienced player, captain Julian de Guzman, knows it.

EPIC presents the 2016 Western Canada College ID Camp

WFC2, USL & NASL NEWS

Eddies open Scotland preseason trip with 2-0 victory over Partick Thistle FC Edmonton
FC Edmonton (1-0-0) opened up their 2016 Scotland preseason trip with a 2-0 win over Glasgow’s Partick Thistle FC, May 13 at New Tinto Park. A near wholesale change at half saw virtually every member of the Eddies squad receiving 45 minutes of play by the final whistle.

RailHawks Owner Confirms NASL-ESPN3 Deal, Addresses Pursuit of New TV PartnerEmpire of Soccer
Still relatively new owner of the Carolina RailHawks, Steve Malik, let slip this week that the North American Soccer League will be continuing its broadcast partnership with ESPN’s streaming service, ESPN3.

Seattle Sounders FC 2 struggles in 2-0 loss to Seattle UniversitySounders FC
Seattle Sounders FC 2 couldn’t find the back of the net on Friday evening as the team dropped its third preseason outing against Seattle University 2-0.

2016 USL Preview: FC MontrealUSL
With 17 players already set to make their return to FC Montreal this season, the tone of the 2016 campaign should be quite different following the 10th-place finish in the Eastern Conference a year ago. This still is an incredibly young bunch, but it also is a group that has a professional year together.

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WOMEN’S SOCCER NEWS

National Women’s Soccer League continues to rely on unpaid amateur playersOregonian
While NWSL teams may invite a handful of non-rostered players to participate in trainings throughout the season, clubs are only allowed to carry up to 10 players on their Amateur Player Lists. These players can be called up as game-day replacements when national team players are away, but league rules stipulate that amateur players “may not receive or retain any remuneration for playing except expenses directly related to a game or games which have actually been incurred by the player.”

Fire Destroys Home of Three NWSL PlayersMidfield Press
The home of Western New York Flash goalkeeper, Britt Eckerstrom, went up in flames Thursday night. Along with the house her car that was packed to the brim with everything she was taking to New York for her season with Western New York Flash. Not only was this Britt and her family’s home, but it was also the host family for Tori Huster and Tiffany Weimer of the Washington Spirit.

NWSL Players’ Fire Recovery FundMedium.com
Please donate generously to help these three remarkable women get back on their feet. No one deserves to go through this but this is where they find themselves. So let’s show them the power of the soccer community, let’s stand with them in this moment.

Vietnam to face Thailand in AFF women’s championship group stage Vietnamnet
Vietnam has been drawn in Group A along with Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines at the 2016 AFF Women’s Championship, to take place in Mandalay, Myanmar from July 26 to August 4.

2016 FA WSL 2 – Season Preview: Second tier promises thrills and spillsVavel
With the new campaign to get underway next week, there’s plenty of drama ready and awaiting in the second division of women’s football in England.

Huge news for Crystal Palace Ladies as they announce Academy of Excellence plansCroydon Advertiser
Crystal Palace Ladies Football Club are launching the largest development programme in its history, opening a new Academy of Excellence to attract the most talented young players alongside a new scheme to attract newcomers as young as four at grassroots level.

BC Soccer Leagues & Clubs – Share your News With The BC Soccer Community!

WORLD SOCCER NEWS

Gary Lineker: Nothing compares to this truly magical title charge by my Leicester City The Guardian
Something extraordinary is happening in the world of football. Something that defies logic. Something truly magical. Something that makes me well up with emotion because this something is happening to my team. The team I have supported since I was the size of a multipack of crisps.

Titleholder Arsenal falls to Watford in FA Cup Sportsnet
The FA Cup served up another shock for the established powers of English football when Arsenal lost 2-1 at home to Watford on Sunday, ending its bid to win the trophy for a third straight year.

Gonzalo Higuaín penalty at Palermo keeps Napoli hot on heels of JuventusThe Guardian
Napoli maintained their pursuit of the Serie A leaders, Juventus, with a 1-0 win over Palermo thanks to a first-half penalty by Gonzalo Higuaín.

Football review: Barry acted with integrity in playing down Costa ‘bite’ – shame others don’t do the sameThe Telegraph
We seem to live in an age where reducing the opposition to 10 men is a more ‘hip’ strategy than 4-4-2. For all their beauty, witness the cynicism of the current Barcelona side who are the most adept in history at ensuring they rarely complete their most significant fixtures against 11 men.

Zidane concerned despite dramatic Real Madrid victory Goal
Zinedine Zidane was unimpressed with Real Madrid’s performance as it recorded a dramatic 2-1 win at Las Palmas.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic says he will not be at Paris St Germain next seasonThe Guardian
Zlatan Ibrahimovic said as things stand he will leave Paris St Germain at the end of the season, joking that he would stay only if the club replace the Eiffel Tower with a statue of him.

Quintero, Sambueza should delight America fans Goal
Two of America’s attackers led the team to a Clasico victory over Chivas and are finding their form at the right time for the Mexico City side.

Posted in BC Soccer News.