MLS MATCHDAY
SPORTING KANSAS CITY vs. WHITECAPS FC
SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2016, 5:30 PM
CHILDREN’S MERCY PARK, KANSAS CITY, KS
TV: TSN 2 RADIO: TSN 1040 LIVESTREAM: TSN GO
Octavio Rivero Has Plenty to Build on From Season Opener – Eighty-Six Forever
Octavio Rivero may not have scored in the Whitecaps season opening loss to the Montreal Impact on Sunday, but there’s no denying the striker had a good day at the office. Rivero had a team high four shots on net and six shots total, and would have had at least one goal if not for the oustanding play of Impact Keeper Evan Bush.
No defence for Waston’s silly play – 24 Hours
Judging from the result, we can now safely assume that Vancouver will lose all 34 games this season, allow more than 100 goals against and score 68 goals — the most ever by the club in MLS — and miss the playoffs. That obviously won’t actually happen (fingers crossed), but there were some worrying signs from the first game of the season.
Admitting mistakes is the first step for the Whitecaps – The Province
Losing a game of soccer in Glasgow tends to feel like there’s been a death in the family, Fraser Aird was saying Tuesday. Yeah, and if you’re one of the players who contributed to the loss, it probably feels like you caused the death, too.
Sporting KC acquires 22-year-old striker Diego Rubio on loan – Sporting KC
Sporting Kansas City announced Tuesday that the club has acquired 22-year-old Chilean striker Diego Rubio on a loan as a Young Designated Player.
Revs hold no grudge against Jermaine Jones after his departure – SBI
The Revolution found a resolution late last week for the offseason-long dilemma of what do with Jones, surprisingly sending him to the Colorado Rapids in exchange for general allocation money and a first round draft pick in next year’s MLS Draft. Jones, 34, had seen his contract expire following the conclusion of the 2015 campaign, and never was able to come close to terms with the Revolution on a new deal despite both parties expressing interest in working something out.
Toronto FC Acquires General Allocation Money From Sounders FC – Toronto FC
Toronto FC announced Tuesday that the club has acquired GAM (General Allocation Money) from Seattle Sounders FC in exchange for TAM (Targeted Allocation Money) and an international roster spot.
Stejskal: Seattle’s small moves pave the way for bigger signing to come – MLS
Taken individually, the Seattle Sounders’ three moves on Tuesday might seem like routine league minutia, but taken together, they could prove to be hugely significant for the upcoming season.
Has MLS been hurt by departures like Miazga, Martins and Nemeth? – ESPN FC
You have to go back to 2010 — when the likes of Stu Holden, Ricardo Clark, Yura Movsisyan and Sacha Kljestan (in the summer) left the league — to find a comparable number of quality departures.
The Texas Derby: A Series of Steaks – Houston Dynamo
Rivalries in all sports tend to ebb and flow. One team gains a favorable matchup and tends to beat their rival for a few years, and then the cycle turns, and the opponent gains the upper hand. Over the course of 24 all-time regular-season meetings over 10 seasons, the Houston Dynamo and FC Dallas have produced two eras of dominance. The Dynamo hope to start a new cycle on Saturday in the first Texas Derby of 2016.
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BC SOCCER NEWS
BC Soccer Assoc. to Promote the Adult League Cup Finals – BCSA
BC Soccer Assoc. is pleased to be supporting their member Adult League Cup Finals this year with advertisements in the local papers as well as promotion online. The Adult League Cup Finals all take place in March and early April as the winners from those finals earn a berth into the 2016 BC Soccer Provincial Championships which will take place on March 14 and 15 at Westhills Stadium in Langford.
Cowichan LMG advances to Jackson Cup semis – Cowichan Valley Citizen
The first tally in Cowichan LMG’s Jackson Cup quarterfinal against Nanaimo FC last Friday was, in coach Glen Martin’s admission, a “terrible goal.” The team’s recovery from that low point, however, defined the game.
Riptide U15 girls head to the provincials – Campbell River Mirror
For the second year in a row, the 2001 Riptide Girls soccer team has earned the Island berth at the Provincial A Cup championships.
Undefeated Storm girls win Island championship – Nanaimo News Bulletin
The Upper Island Storm U14 girls’ side completed an undefeated season by winning the Vancouver Island Premier League championship. The Storm held on and defeated the Saanich Prospect Lake Fusion 2-1 on Saturday at Merle Logan Field.
BC Soccer Assoc. is Now Accepting Candidates for its Board of Directors – BCSA
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 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.
CANADA vs. MEXICO, March 25, 2016 @ BC PLACE STADIUM. Buy Tickets Today!
CANADA SOCCER NEWS
Canada Soccer Celebrates International Women’s Day with home match announcement – CSA
Canada Soccer will host two Women’s National Team matches against 2016 Rio Olympic host nation Brazil on Saturday 4 June in Toronto at BMO Field and Tuesday 7 June in Ottawa at TD Place.
Canadians prep for Algarve Cup final, announce pair of friendlies in Toronto, Ottawa – Yahoo Sports
If nothing else, Canada’s national women’s soccer team is getting its fill of Brazil ahead of the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Brazil, Brazil, Brazil: Canada’s forecast calls for a heavy dose of canary yellow – the11.ca
The Canadian women’s national team is going to get so used to playing Brazil, that they should consider blasting Sepultura during training sessions and cooling down to the sounds of Bebel Gilberto.
Canadian women falling behind in sport says new report – CBC
The wide ranging report entitled “Women in Sport: Fuelling a Lifetime of Participation” outlines how girls and women are trailing their male counterparts in all realms of Canadian sport.
De Guzman positive ahead of Mexico clash – Red Nation Online
The beginning of the 2016 NASL Season is just under a month away, and Canadian Men’s National Team captain Julian De Guzman is with his club Ottawa Fury FC training in Arizona. However, before De Guzman dives into his second season with Fury FC he will be focusing on Canada’s 2018 World Cup Qualifying bid.
Canada 2015 celebrated at Canadian Screen Awards – CSA
The FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015™ was celebrated at the annual Canadian Screen Awards on Tuesday 8 March 2016, with the Bell Media / TSN family winning three awards for the production of last summer’s international event.
The problem with age groups in youth soccer – Red Nation Online
On the surface, grouping players according to their chronological age or birth year seems fair – after all, this is the same way that the Canadian educational system groups its students. Unfortunately, in both the youth sports / youth soccer systems, as well as in the educational system, grouping children based simply on the year and month in which they were born will not lead to optimal development, and many of these children will end up getting left behind.
Charlottetown couple start married life with soccer-themed wedding – CBC
A Charlottetown couple ‘kicked’ off their married life with a wedding unique to them and their courtship. Robin and Kirk White said their vows wearing soccer jerseys in the pub, the Churchill Arms, where they spent a lot of time while dating watching soccer.
EPIC presents the 2016 Western Canada College ID Camp
WFC2, USL & NASL NEWS
WFC2 to play two USL matches at Langley’s McLeod Athletic Park – Whitecaps FC
Vancouver Whitecaps FC and the Township of Langley formally announced on Tuesday that Whitecaps FC 2 (WFC2) will play two United Soccer League (USL) matches at McLeod Athletic Park this coming season.
Whitecaps FC2 coming to town – Langley Times
Lenarduzzi was in Langley for the announcement that the Whitecaps FC 2 (WFC2) — an affiliate squad for Vancouver’s MLS team — will play a pair of games at McLeod Athletic Park this summer. They will host Arizona United SC on Sunday, Aug. 21 and then the Seattle Sounders FC 2 on Labour Day (Sept. 5). Both matches kick off at 3 p.m.
USL games in Langley spearheading Vancouver Whitecaps desire to embed club in lower mainland communities – AFTN
Would WFC2 have drawn bigger crowds regularly in New West? Or in Surrey, Coquitlam, Burnaby, Langley or wherever else? We don’t know for sure, but you have to feel they’d have been in with a shot of doing so. But more importantly, having the USL side in one of those communities helps identify the Whitecaps as a club for all of the lower mainland and BC, not just Vancouverites.
Eddies can’t wait to leave cramped confines of Commonwealth Fieldhouse – the11.ca
The Eddies are a little bit stir crazy. Except for a few days spent on a full-sized field in Saskatchewan, the Eddies’ have spent training camp on the miniature indoor pitch at the Commonwealth Fieldhouse. With a full squad, the space is cramped.
FC Edmonton manager Colin Miller wants players to experience passionate football ‘culture’ in Scotland – Capital City Press
FC Edmonton are heading to Scotland for pre-season because manager Colin Miller wants his squad to experience football in a country that lives and breathes the game.
Fury Offseason Report: New Faces – Northern XI
Just under a month away from opening kick-off on its third season, Ottawa Fury FC is gearing up to face a make-or-break campaign both on and off the pitch.
2016 USL Preview: Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC – USL
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC hit the mark in a number of areas during its first season in 2015. The club maintained a strong home-field advantage, had a deep roster, showcased a flurry of offensive moments and ultimately advanced to the conference semifinals of the 2015 USL Playoffs. A bulk of last season’s team returns this year to do this all over again, and Steve Trittschuh’s side certainly expects to step things up one more notch to be in contention for this year’s title.
Get a sneak peek at how Nippert Stadium will be transformed to make way for FC Cincinnati – WCPO
Fans will see FC Cincinnati signage throughout the stadium, the field won’t at all look like a football field, and the 45,000-seat facility will be tactfully transformed into a cozier atmosphere fitting of well-attended United Soccer League games.
Rowdies Seeking to Extend Al Lang Lease in Lead Up to Proposed Stadium Expansion – The Unused Substitutions
Why does an extension to the lease agreement for managing control of Al Lang Stadium suddenly need to be decided on in a public referendum? It turns out that the St Petersburg city charter requires leases over four years long for any waterfront property to be voted on by the public. The deadline to officially get the Al Lang lease agreement referendum on the November ballot is August 23.
NASL hopefuls SF Deltas Launch Campaign to Secure Kezar Stadium – Empire of Soccer
The club is asking supporters sign their names to a form letter addressed to the commissioners who oversee the city’s Recreation and Parks Commission. Located in Golden Gate Park, Kezar Stadium is a publicly owned and operated facility, meaning the Deltas need approval from the commissioners to use the venue.
Games in sweltering conditions, separation from family: NASL life means big adjustments for European imports – the11.ca
FC Edmonton forward Daryl Fordyce remembers one of his first road games after he made the move from Northern Ireland to the NASL.
Orange County Blues win latest preseason test 1-0 over NASL’s Indy Eleven – Goat Parade
The Orange County Blues began their preseason stint in Casa Grande, Arizona on Monday with a preseason game against NASL side Indy Eleven. The Southern Californians came out the 1-0 winner, courtesy of a Trevin Caesar goal in the 36th minute. It marks the third consecutive preseason match in which Caesar has scored for his new side, which seems like a good omen heading into the season.
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WOMEN’S SOCCER NEWS
The Alex Morgan Myth: Deconstructing the USWNT’s Best Forward – Stars & Stripes FC
For years, Alex Morgan was supposed to take on the mantle as the next legendary USWNT attacker. So why hasn’t it happened?
Hope Solo takes issue with field conditions for SheBelieves Cup finale – Sporting News
Hope Solo is not happy about the playing conditions at FAU Stadium on the campus of Florida Atlantic University, which on Wednesday will host the 2016 SheBelieves Cup title match between the U.S. women’s soccer team and Germany.
Stoney highlights significance of Lionesses’ French exam – The FA
Casey Stoney has labelled Wednesday’s encounter against France as England’s most important match of the SheBelieves Cup.
Birmingham City Ladies snap up Schroder – Vavel
Birmingham City Ladies have completed the signing of German defender Corina ‘Coco’ Schroder, 29, on an undisclosed contract.
Female referees and their inspiring stories – Westfield W-League
Talk to female referees and you’ll find all sorts of inspiring stories. “I enjoy every game I’m involved in, whether it’s a W-League game or local state competition, that game on the day could be the most important game to those 22 players on the field, you can take something out of every game,” says Danielle, a community level and Westfield W-League ref.
Women in grassroots football: Fleur Cousens’ experience – Kick it Out
To celebrate International Women’s Day, Kick It Out has spoken to four women from different grassroots clubs across the country to hear about their experiences playing the game, what football means to them and what more can be done to get more girls and women playing football.
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WORLD SOCCER NEWS
Arsène Wenger defiant over protest banner but worried by Arsenal injuries – The Guardian
Arsenal’s 4-0 victory over Hull City at the KC Stadium took the FA Cup holders into a quarter-final on Sunday against Watford at the Emirates. Yet Arsène Wenger was forced to claim he had nothing to be scared of following a banner that appeared from the travelling fans which said: “Arsène, thanks for the memories but it’s time to say goodbye.”
Insider Notes: USA to tune up for Copa America vs. Ecuador, Bolivia – SI.com
The U.S. opens the Copa América Centenario on June 3 against Colombia, and the likely U.S. opponents for the two friendlies right before the tournament are a pair of South American foes also preparing for the special-edition competition.
UCL Rewind: Real Madrid, Wolfsburg punch tickets to quarterfinals – SBI
In Tuesday’s headliner, the Spanish La Liga club made easy work of AS Roma to advance to the final eight for a sixth consecutive year. Cristiano Ronaldo scored the first goal of the second leg and set up the second to help Madrid top the Italian side, 2-0 (4-0 on aggregate).
Man United vs. Liverpool not devalued by Europa League setting – Van Gaal – ESPN FC
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has hit back at critics who have said his club and Liverpool should be meeting in the Champions League not the Europa League, urging people not to “live in the past.”
Luke Shaw could return for Manchester United before end of season – Vavel
Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw could return from a double leg break before the end of the season, and is aiming to make England’s Euro 2016 squad.
Adebayor turns down Togo – Vavel
Crystal Palace forward Emmanuel Adebayor has turned down a call up for the Togo national team as he wants to remain fully focused on keeping Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
Damien De Bohun resigns as A-League boss – The Guardian
Football Federation Australia is without a Head of the A-League, after Damien De Bohun’s move to walk away from his post after four years. De Bohun informed FFA staff on Tuesday he would step down at the end of the season, citing family reasons for his departure.
Premier League clubs agree £30 away tickets for next three seasons – Goal
The 20 top flight clubs have “unanimously agreed” to cap prices in a move to make following teams away from home more affordable for supporters.
French football federation offices searched in Sepp Blatter investigation – The Guardian
Officials have searched the offices of France’s football federation and seized documents in support of a Swiss investigation into the former Fifa president Sepp Blatter.
DFS gets first regulation but Eaton warns US needs total culture change to beat gangsters – Inside World Football
Regulation of the runaway Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) business in the US took a step closer in Virginia this week, but a ruling is still awaited in New York over whether DFS games operated by DraftKings and FanDuel are illegal or not.
When Aberdeen ruled Scottish football – The Guardian
As an Aberdeen fan you may have been forgiven for thinking that things could not get any better than the night of Wednesday 11 May 1983. For the thousands who had made their way to Gothenburg on fishing boats and for those who had slept in the streets, the trip was most definitely worth it.