BC Soccer News, Tuesday, February 28, 2017

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC & MLS NEWS

CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

NEW YORK RED BULLS vs. VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC

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THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017, 7:00 pm

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Whitecaps FC bring back experienced midfielder Mauro Rosales – Whitecaps FC
Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced on Monday that the club has signed midfielder Mauro Rosales to an MLS contract for 2017, with a club option for 2018.

Vancouver Whitecaps Bring Back Mauro Rosales – Eighty-Six Forever
Searching for more creativity in the mid-field, the Vancouver Whitecaps have gone to a familiar face for help, bringing back midfielder Mauro Rosales. Rosales was previously with Vancouver from parts of 2014 to 2015, scoring 1 goal and 6 assists during that span. It’s the second time in recent memory we’ve heard from Rosales, as Carl Robinson revealed he had played a part in getting Fredy Montero in a Whitecaps kit.

Marsch Preparing Team For Battle In Vancouver – NYRB
Head Coach Jesse Marsch knows that the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League will be a battle. “Whichever way it goes, it’s going to be tight,” Marsch said after training on Monday.

Vancouver Whitecaps add Mauro Rosales, readying Brek Shea and Fredy Montero for CONCACAF Champions League – Once a Metro
Vancouver has injury and suspension issues at the moment, but the club has made smart work of the transfer market to give itself options for its upcoming CCL match against RBNY.

Possible scenarios for Thursday’s Champions League quarterfinal at BC Place – Whitecaps FC
After a 1-1 draw at Red Bull Arena last week, Vancouver Whitecaps FC host New York Red Bulls on Thursday night in the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals (7 p.m. PT at BC Place – tickets still available). Here are the different scenarios that would send Vancouver to the semifinals, keeping in mind it’s a two-leg aggregate series and away goals are the tiebreaker.

Vancouver Whitecaps vs New York Red Bulls – CONCACAF Champions League Preview – Futebolcidade
After a 1-1 draw in New York, Vancouver Whitecaps will carry a narrow advantage over New York Red Bulls into the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal on Thursday.

CCL Preview: Red Bulls Need Away Goals to Advance – Empire of Soccer
The New York Red Bulls enter the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Thursday night needing a goal at BC Place to advance in the competition. Vancouver’s 1-1 draw at Red Bull Arena last week puts New York in the precarious position of chasing the game, something they have shown an inability to do in the playoffs under Coach Jesse Marsch.

Robinson expects Teibert to take next great leap forward with Whitecaps – Vancouver Sun
Russell Teibert is a humble guy, more inclined to talk about his teammates than about himself. Example: the return of veteran winger Mauro Rosales to the Whitecaps’ stable makes his eyes light up.

Whitecaps trade Barnes for Shea (or Shea for Barnes) – Soccer Shorts
I think we can place this in the “I did not see it coming” file. The arrival of Brek Shea doesn’t make a ton of sense from a squad construction point of view but it’s been clear for a while that the Whitecaps have been keen to get Giles Barnes (or at least his salary) away from Vancouver and Shea was likely the best, or only, option. So where will he play for the Whitecaps?

Arabe Unido vs. FC Dallas | 2016-17 CCL Quarterfinal Preview, 2nd Leg – MLS
After a 4-0 demolition of their opponents in the first leg of this aggregate goals series, FC Dallas will look to formalize their passage to the CCL semifinals in a Wednesday evening trip to Panama.

New York Red Bulls Name Denis Hamlett Sporting Director – NYRB
Hamlett will oversee all aspects of the New York Red Bulls sporting operations, which includes player acquisitions, scouting/support staffs and the soccer operations budget. He will also oversee the Red Bulls player development model, which includes New York Red Bulls II, Under-23 team and Red Bulls Academy.

Sounders’ Brad Evans out five to seven weeks with calf muscle strain – Seattle Times
Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said the team is sitting Evans now in hopes of having him fully healthy this summer.

Defender Daniel Lovitz joins the Impact – Montreal Impact
Lovitz, 25, played 41 games, including 13 starts, and 1,387 minutes in three seasons with Toronto FC, recording three assists. He appeared in six Amway Canadian Championship games, five as a starter, helping TFC win the 2016 tournament. He also took part in seven USL games with Toronto FC II and the Wilmington Hammerheads.

Montreal Impact: 2017 MLS Season Preview – MLS Multiplex
Montreal Impact finished fifth in 2016 and made it to the Conference finals for the first time in their history. Here is a preview of their upcoming season.

Major League Soccer encouraging investment in Homegrown Players – ESPN FC
MLS defines HPs as those who have been produced by an MLS team’s academy. This has the effect of giving the MLS team that developed the player right of first refusal among MLS sides when it comes to the player signing his first professional contract.

Former Philadelphia Union midfielder Michael Farfan announces his retirement – Philadelphia Union
Farfan spent three seasons in Philadelphia, including the 2011 campaign where the Union reached the postseason for the first time in club history.

Greg Vanney & Tim Bezbatchenko set for Toronto FC contract extensions – Waking the Red
Toronto FC’s braintrust has preached continuity in terms of the club’s playing staff this winter, and the message is much the same when it comes to the management team.

DC United break ground on Audi Field, target June 2018 for opening – MLS
At 4:01 pm on Feb. 27, 2017, actual shovels finally dug into actual dirt, officially beginning construction on D.C.’s Audi Field. And for a club that has spent almost two decades searching for an upgrade from historic but tiring RFK Stadium, it was catharsis as much as celebration.

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BC SOCCER NEWS

April 29th Coaching Workshop to Support Kids with Autism in Sport – BCSA
BC Soccer is proud to be collaborating with Surrey United, Canucks Autism Network, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, City of Surrey, and Sport Surrey to offer a FREE coaching workshop supporting kids with autism.

VIDEO: The incredible story of Whitecaps FC Residency goalkeeper Darlington Murasiranwa – Whitecaps FC
Last year, young goalkeeper Darlington Murasiranwa joined the Whitecaps FC Residency program from the FC Edmonton Academy. But his journey to Vancouver goes much further than his time in Alberta. In this feature from Future Legends, hosted by all-time Canadian men’s national team goalscorer Dwayne De Rosario, Darlington’s path is documented.

TSS Rovers launch website & 2017 Season Ticket Campaign – TSS Rovers
TSS FC Rovers play their inaugural season in the PDL at iconic Swangard Stadium. Season Tickets are $70 for Adults, $49 for U12 Youth.

Becoming a BC Soccer Referee – BCSA
Whether you are an experienced referee new to British Columbia or if you are new to the discipline of refereeing BC Soccer Assoc. has a clinic and a pathway for you.  The minimum age to become a referee is 12 years old (small sided) and 14 years old (11-a-side). Please enjoy the short video showcasing some Referee programs that BC Soccer offers and continue below for more on how to become a referee in BC!

TSS FC Rovers Open Tryouts – TSS Rovers
Vancouver’s newest team, TSS FC Rovers, is looking for Canada’s best up and coming players to play for their first squad in 2017. If you are a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant, could possibly play for our national team one day, and meet the age requirment of 23 and under, we want to see you play!

To our Readers: A Choice – BC Soccer Web
Soccer has brought us to the United States many times. It’s a great place with decent people. We especially look forward to our Cascadia trips to Seattle and Portland. They’re incredible cities with wonderful supporters. That’s why it was so disheartening to see chaos and fear take hold in the airports and borders of our neighbours to the south.

FVSL All-Stars to face WFC2 in March – BC Soccer Web
January snow and ice in the Lower Mainland put the brakes on the annual clash between the Fraser Valley Soccer League All-Stars and the best from the VISL this year. That hasn’t stopped the FVSL from planning an ambitious All-Star series in March.

BC Soccer Assoc. is Now Accepting 2016-2017 Awards Nominations – BCSA
We are pleased to inform everyone that BC soccer Assoc. is currently accepting Awards nominations until the submission deadline date of March 31, 2017. Selection of the award recipients is based on many factors including the individual’s commitment, community involvement and willingness to give back to the game. This year any BC Soccer Assoc. member and their affiliate clubs may submit a nomination.

2017 BC Soccer Assoc. is accepting candidates for its Board of Directors – BCSA
BC Soccer Assoc. is accepting candidates for its Board of Directors for terms commencing June, 2017 (following the BC Soccer Annual General Meeting).

Victoria Highlanders 2017 Season Passes now on sale – Highlanders FC
Support local soccer on Vancouver Island. Join the excitement of Highlanders FC PDL Soccer!

PHOTOS: CANADA WEST WOMENS FINAL, UBC 3, TWU 0, NOVEMBER 6, 2016 – BC Soccer Web
Exclusive photos for BC Soccer Web by Bill Currie.

VMSL PHOTOS: Richmond FC Hibs 1, ICSF Columbus FC 0, November 5, 2016 – BC Soccer Web
Exclusive photos for BC Soccer Web by Bill Currie.

MWSL PHOTOS: Van United Primas 0, Fraser Valley Action 2, October 30, 2016 – BC Soccer Web
Exclusive Photos for BC Soccer Web by Bill Currie.

PHOTOS: GNAC Women’s Soccer: SFU 1 Concordia U. (Ore.) 0, October 20, 2016 – BC Soccer Web
Exclusive Photos for BC Soccer Web by Bill Currie.

2016 BC Soccer Provincial Cup Photo Galleries – BC Soccer Web
Westhills Stadium & Goudy Park in Langford hosted the 2016 BC Soccer Adult Provincial Cup Finals. It was a thrilling weekend of soccer on Vancouver Island that saw seven champions crowned. Richmond FC & Surrey Pegasus qualified for the National Championships this Fall in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Both Coquitlam Metro-Ford Masters & Classics sides qualified for the Western Canadian Masters Championships in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In all, it was a clean sweep for teams from the VMSL & MWSL. Monique Lamoureux & Bill Currie from BC Soccer Web were on location that weekend, capturing the all the action.

Free Physiotherapy Clinical Trial for Achilles Pain at UBC – UBC Centre for Hip Health & Mobility
Do you have Achilles pain? Interested in free Physiotherapy? If yes, join our clinical trial to look at the effectiveness of intramuscular stimulation (IMS), a form of acupuncture therapy, in treating Achilles tendon pain.

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 Syndication – BC 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.

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CANADA SOCCER NEWS

League1 Ontario 2016 Defender Of The Year Niba MacDonald Signs With Slovakia’s FC Nitra – League1 Ontario
North Toronto Nitros centre-back Niba MacDonald has signed with Slovakian second division club FC Nitra during the winter break, contracted at minimum to finish out the European season in May.

Sanoh, Roberts named best on Prince Edward Island – CSA
Ibrahim Sanoh and Briar Roberts have been celebrated as the best players on Prince Edward Island for the 2016 season. Sanoh won the PEISA Senior Male Athlete of the Year award while Roberts took home her second-straight PEISA Senior Female Athlete of the Year award. Colin Curran was named the Youth Male Athlete of the Year while Madison Hurley was named the Youth Female Athlete of the Year.

Canada Soccer looking for candidates to serve on the Board of Directors starting May 2017 – CSA
Deadline for application is 4:00 pm ET on Wednesday, 22 March 2017.

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Wynneing Mentality: Deklan Wynne back in Vancouver and looking to “catch the eye” of Carl Robinson – AFTN
For 21-year-old New Zealand international Wynne, this will technically be his third season with the Whitecaps, but having joined the team towards the end of WFC2’s inaugural USL season in 2015, injury and international call-ups have limited the defender to just 14 appearances for the Whitecaps to date.

FC Edmonton signs former Dundalk and Rangers attacker Dean Shiels – FC Edmonton
The 32-year-old proven goalscorer arrives in Edmonton after previous success for both club and country with Hibernian, Glasgow Rangers, Dundalk and the Northern Ireland National Team.

Shiels relishes the opportunity to become FC Edmonton’s “difference-maker” – the11.ca
In the lead-up to the signing and after the deal was finalized, FC Edmonton coach Colin Miller has repeatedly referred to Northern Irish striker Dean Shields as a “difference-maker.” So, did Shiels feel the weight of expectation on his shoulders when he took the field with his new Eddies teammates for the first time Monday?

Toronto’s Hamilton Ready should Opportunity Knock – USL
If it seems like a while since Toronto FC forward Jordan Hamilton was scoring the fastest goal in the USL’s history – at least among attacking players – that’s because it was.

Straith signs with FC Edmonton for the NASL spring season – the11.ca
Adam Straith walked onto the indoor turf field at Commonwealth Fieldhouse about halfway through FC Edmonton’s training session, alongside the team’s other new signing, striker Dean Shiels. Both had just completed their medicals, got to the facility and changed into blue FC Edmonton training kits.

Fan-favorite Matt Watson will not play for North Carolina FC in 2017 – WRAL Sportsfan
Watson is in the second year of a two-year guaranteed contract with North Carolina FC. However, Watson has not trained with the team since its 2017 preseason camp officially opened on February 6. Watson’s absence appears to be at the behest of Clarke, who along with the club’s staff have been working to move the 32-year-old midfielder, either by transfer or loan.

Peter Wilt Talks San Diego, Chicago & More NASL Expansion – Midfield Press
While the North American Soccer League contracted from 12 teams to 8 this past offseason, prospects for the league’s expansion have never looked better.  Two roadblocks to growth are out of the way, with Traffic Sports no longer involved in the league and Division II status provisionally retained after a period of uncertainty.  Serious expansion bids with the potential of joining for 2018 are afoot in Atlanta, Chicago, Orange County and two separate groups that want to bring NASL to San Diego.

Women’s EURO finalists in tournament warm-ups – UEFA
All 16 finalists are in action over the next week in one of the annual friendly tournaments in the Algarve, Cyprus and the United States as they step up their preparation.

Division 1 Féminine – Matchday 15 Review: the top two distance themselves from the chasing pack – Vavel
This round of matches saw the gap at the top widening while this campaign’s Cinderella team continues to live out their fairy tale season.

Frauen-Bundesliga – Matchday 13 Round-up: Gladbach off the mark – Vavel
After the thirteenth round of fixtures, the FBL has a new leader in Wolfsburg as they’ve gone ahead of Potsdam – the Turbines with a game in hand – the other big news of the weekend was lowly Borussia Mönchengladbach finally picking up a win.

US denies visa to Tibetan women’s soccer team – Hindustan Times
Having made its mark in the tournaments held across the Indian sub-continent, the Tibetan Women’s soccer team had heartbreak as the United States (US) embassy denied a visa to the team members to travel to the country where they were to take part in the Dallas Cup.

NYCFC to Launch Girls Academy – Empire of Soccer
City’s Sporting Director Claudio Reyna said he hopes the academy will serve some of the 200,000 girls who play soccer in the New York metro area.

U.S. Girls DA launch means crossroads for many players – The Equalizer
High school sports have long played an integral role within American communities, bringing people together and teaching adolescents valuable life lessons along the way. Student-athletes take great pride in collaborating with their teammates—and friends—to work toward one common goal: best representing their respective schools, peers and families.But this year, thousands of the nation’s top young female soccer players face a difficult decision that might mean giving up high school soccer altogether.

Women’s Referees take step toward France – FIFA
The Algarve region of Portugal hosted a FIFA refereeing seminar last week in preparation for the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019™.  Just as the players are progressing on their journey to the sport’s showpiece event, 41 FIFA Elite Women’s referees from 35 different countries took the next important step in their preparation.

FFA starts detailed work on ownership models and expansion – W-League
Football Federation Australia (FFA) will this week begin the detailed work with Hyundai A-League /Westfield W-League clubs to develop a new ownership and operating model for both leagues.

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WORLD SOCCER NEWS

Travel ban could harm US World Cup bid – Ceferin – SN
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin says that if the USA introduces a travel ban, it could harm the country’s bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Now Sevilla can think about La Liga title charge after besting Betis – The Guardian
A crunch win at Betis means the question now being asked is if Sevilla could win a first league title since 1946. Why not?

Leicester 3 Liverpool 1: Foxes come out fighting to kick-start season – The Telegraph
There has been such a sense of tragedy to Leicester City that it felt appropriate a man called Shakespeare should step in, change the storyline and give it a dramatic twist.

Thomas Muller comes alive at last for surging Bayern Munich – Fox Sports
While Robert Lewandowski scored his third hat trick of the season, the star of the show was Thomas Muller, even though he didn’t score and was booked for diving. It has been a tough season for Muller, whose tally of one Bundesliga goal this season is the same as Mats Hummels, Rafinha and Philipp Lahm.

Juventus hold the aces on home soil against Porto – UEFA
Juventus have an imposing home record in European competition so Porto know they have a stiff task if they are to realise their ambition of winning a place in the quarter-finals

Newcastle’s three away games in a week will shape the Championship title race – The Guardian
In the next seven days Newcastle will travel to Brighton, Huddersfield and Reading to play the three clubs in the Championship with the best home records.

Argentina players’ union threatens strike over unpaid wages – ESPN FC
The Argentina players’ union said they will go ahead with their plan to strike next weekend despite a government pledge to inject money in order to take care of unpaid wages.

Mark McGhee: Motherwell sack manager after ‘disappointing’ run of results – BBC Sport
Motherwell have sacked manager Mark McGhee after what they describe as a “disappointing” run of poor results.

United States Downs Mexico at CONCACAF U20s – USL
The United States U20s took a major step forward in their pursuit of both the 2017 CONCACAF U20 Championship and the 2017 FIFA World Cup as they took a 1-0 victory against Mexico on Monday evening  at the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa on Monday night.

Brazil state championships prove to be the drag on progress of club game – Inside World Football
This weekend Rio de Janeiro giants Flamengo and Fluminense will dispute the final of the Taça Guanabara. It is but a footnote in the drawn-out and archaic state championships, which are increasingly holding back Brazilian football.

Africa will have at least seven places at expanded World Cup – FIFA boss – African Football
Africa will have at least seven representatives if and when the World Cup is expanded to 48 teams in 2026, according to FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

Aston Villa release accounts showing £81m loss for last financial year – The Guardian
Aston Villa recorded a loss of more than £81m for the last financial year, according to the club’s latest accounts.

Mission XI Million set to boost India’s football growth – FIFA
The benefits of India hosting the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup are set to be felt far into the future, thanks to an ambitious and far-reaching plan to fast-track the growth of football in the world’s second most populous nation.

Lobster before matches and acupuncture after – Misimovic talks China’s cultural differences – SN
“Everything is different,” said the German-born Bosnia international. “The mentality, the organisation – and especially the food.”