BC Soccer News, Wednesday, May 31, 2017

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC & MLS NEWS

2017 CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIP SEMIFINAL

MONTREAL IMPACT  4   VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC  2

2ND LEG (5-4 AGGREGATE)

TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2017

STADE SAPUTO, MONTREAL, QC

Too little, too late as first half ‘Caps collapse costs them Canadian Championship final spot – AFTN
A strong first half showing from Montreal Impact and a horrific defensive display from Vancouver Whitecaps put the home side in the ascendancy in their Canadian Championship semi-final second leg match up at Stade Saputo, and once they got there, there was no looking back.

Impact 4 Whitecaps 2: Wild game, but Caps fall short in Montreal  – The Province
In a wide-open game that didn’t lack for thrills, the Whitecaps fell 4-2 to the Montreal Impact on Tuesday night.

Impact’s experience wins out over Whitecaps’ youth in Canadian semifinal – Sportsnet
A goal down in the aggregate semifinal series following last week’s 2-1 loss in the opening leg in Vancouver, the Impact fielded a close-to-full-strength lineup to overcome a young Whitecaps side at home and advance to the tournament finals.

Montreal Impact make good on full week’s rest in Canadian Championship win – MLS
With a full week to prepare for the second leg of their Canadian Championship semifinal, the Montreal Impact sure got off to the right start. In the end, that proved just enough.

‘Caps eliminated from Canadian Championship after wild semifinal defeat – Whitecaps FC
For the first time since 2014, and just the second time under the tournament’s current format, Vancouver Whitecaps FC will not play in the final for the Voyageurs Cup.

The Vancouver Whitecaps stop making sense – Soccer Shorts
Carl Robinson can take some solace and some distress from the game- Solace because his team kept battling to the end and even came away with some credit when it could so easily have been a good old fashioned hammering. Distress because all his eggs are now in the league table basket and that means making the playoffs (And only making the playoffs) will be good enough by season’s end.

Off the Post: Scarves, Songs, Support, and Southsiders – AFTN
Supporter culture around the world is rich and varied, and yet there are elements that are shared from Turkey to Japan to Norway to Argentina. The Southsiders, Curva Collective, and Rain City Brigade all draw their inspiration from different cultures and traditions, and you can see that on display every week at BC Place as we do our thing to add to the evolution of supporter life.

Toronto FC give Ottawa Fury their full attention – Toronto Star
Reds won’t have Bradley or Altidore as they enter a return leg against Ottawa, which would love to oust a MLS team.

Toronto FC need a stronger effort in second leg against Ottawa Fury – Waking the Red
Toronto FC may have underestimated the Ottawa Fury last week, turning in an uncharacteristically poor performance against the USL opponent in the first leg of this Canadian Championship tie. This Wednesday, they’ll have a chance to redeem themselves as the second leg kicks off at BMO Field with a spot in the final at stake.

Week 14 storylines: Massive week on deck ahead of international break – MLS
As always, we’ve got plenty of storylines to discuss this week. Let’s dive right in.

NYCFC hosts New England Revolution in first match of month-long stay at home – Prost Amerika
After an extended road trip, the Boys in Blue begin a month long stretch in which they remain within the NYC area, their only two trips in the stretch from now until the first week of July coming in the form of a short ride across the George Washington Bridge to Harrison to take on rivals New York Red Bulls in both Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and Major League Soccer action.

MLS releases list of players eligible for MLS All-Star fan vote – SBI
MLS unveiled an 176-player list on Tuesday featuring eight players from each team eligible for a fan vote. One goalkeeper, three defenders, four midfielders and two forwards will be determined by fan voting while the 11th, a forward, will be determined by the forward fans score the most goals with in this year’s EA Sports FIFA 17 until June 30.

MLS Disciplinary Committee suspends Ortiz, Cronin, Bunbury, Burling, Allen –  MLS
The MLS Disciplinary Committee has issued fines and/or suspensions to seven players and warned two teams following Week 13 of the 2017 MLS regular season.

United’s magical mystery tour takes them to Orlando for midweek melee – Prost Amerika
Normally the Wednesday after Memorial Day is a day of rest. After a couple of days most people are just on autopilot, hoping to do just enough to make it look like they have done something. But not D.C. United. After somehow magically pulling off a victory against the Vancouver Whitecaps they continue they conclude their two game road swing with a visit to Orlando City SC on Wednesday night.

MLS PHOTOS: Vancouver Whitecaps FC 0, D.C. United 1, May 27, 2017 – BC Soccer Web
Exclusive Photos for BC Soccer Web by Bill Currie.

3v3 Live Soccer Tour Comes to Canada

BC SOCCER NEWS

Coach of defending champs says field for girls’ school soccer provincials is wide open – The Province
Sunny Uppal understands better than most how tricky high school soccer can be to navigate. Uppal is coach of the Fleetword Park girls’ team. The Surrey squad heads into the triple-A provincial championship — starting Wednesday at Burnaby Lake Sports Complex — as the No. 13 seed after finishing seventh in their Fraser Valley zone.

Provincials begin today for SDSS rugby & soccer teams – Delta Optimist
The biggest week of the season for a pair of South Delta Sun Devils teams starts today in Abbotsford and Burnaby.

Highlanders defender Montgomery cracks Top-50 Prospects list – Highlanders FC
Victoria Highlanders FC defender Callum Montgomery is officially on the Premier Development League’s radar early in the 2017 season. The Victoria native, who competes for NCAA Division 1’s UNC-Charlotte south of the border, is ranked at No. 18 on the leagues Top-50 list, released Monday.

Seattle Tempers Victoria’s Expectations – Northern Starting XI
After a week off, Victoria Highlanders hosted their 2nd match of the season at Centennial Stadium on a warm & sunny Friday afternoon. There was a fair-sized crowd that looked to be larger than the home opener, helping to create a better atmosphere. With autographs once again being offered after the match, a live singer for the national anthems, and some kids from Alberta down as ball-boys, there’s definitely been some moves at consistently putting together a more professional experience for fans.

BC PROVINCIAL MEN’S A CUP PHOTOS: Club Inter 2 Aldergrove United 0, May 14, 2017 – BC Soccer Web
Exclusive photos for BC Soccer Web by Monique Lamoureux.

BC PROVINCIAL WOMEN’S A CUP PHOTOS: Surrey United 1 NSGSC Renegades 0, May 13, 2017 – BC Soccer Web
Exclusive photos for BC Soccer Web by Bill Currie.

PDL PHOTOS: TSS Rovers 2 Lane Utd. 2, May 12, 2017 – BC Soccer Web
Exclusive photos for BC Soccer Web by Bill Currie.

2017 BC Soccer Adult Provincial Championships – BCSA
The Road to Burnaby continues! Complete brackets and results from the weekend’s games in the BC Provincial Cups.

3V3 LIVE NATIONAL SOCCER TOUR COMES TO ABBOTSFORD – 3v3 Live Canada
3v3 Live Soccer Tour and Holbrook Sports Management are excited to announce the expansion of the 3v3 Live Soccer Tour into the Canadian soccer market.  With the first event previously announced to take place on the August 19/20 weekend in Surrey, BC, the 3v3 Soccer Tour will expand to Abbotsford, BC, on August 20 and will include men’s and women’s open divisions.

2017 VISL JACKSON CUP PHOTOS: Nanaimo Utd. 2 Cowichan LMG 1 (XT), April 2, 2017 – BC Soccer Web
Exclusive Photos for BC Soccer Web by Bill Currie.

FVSL PHOTOS: Pakenham Cup Final, PMO Rangers 1 PMO Lordco Gunners 0, April 1, 2017 – BC Soccer Web
Exclusive Photos for BC Soccer Web by Richard Howes.

REVIEW: The Miracle Mile. Stories of the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games – BC BookLook
Author Jason Beck is curator of the BC Sports Hall of Fame in BC Place Stadium, Vancouver, and convenor two years ago of an excellent exhibition about the 1954 Games. In his first book, he proves to be a meticulous researcher, a compelling story-teller, and a crafty realist who knows how to hook his readers. Watch how, two pages into the book, he uses filmic technique to evoke the arriving athletes’ youthful buzz and give period colouring and costuming, but then smartly moves his camera in to introduce his stars.

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!

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.

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.

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.

 Premium Classified Advertising on BC Soccer Web Starting at 50 cents per day!

CANADA SOCCER NEWS

Canada Soccer announces TSN and RDS as official broadcast partners – CSA
Canada Soccer, TSN, and RDS announced today a renewed partnership that sees the two networks continue to broadcast National Team matches across their linear television and digital platforms. The live coverage kicks off this June with Canada Soccer’s trio of Summer of Soccer international matches over a six-day period featuring the Women’s National Team in Winnipeg (8 June) and Toronto (11 June), followed by the Men’s National Team in Montréal (13 June).

International-level players put on a show – Ontario Soccer
Several international players showed their class across League1 Ontario this week.

Soccer the universal language for Syrian refugees – Waterloo Chronicle
Holding a soccer ball aloft as diligently as he would one of his two young children, Jasim al Shahadh takes a moment to find the words to emphasize his point. “You don’t really know what this means to people from Syria, young and old,” he said. “This is everything for everyone [on the team].”

Register for the Western Canada College ID Camp at Shawnigan Lake

UNITED SOCCER LEAGUE

TIMBERS 2  vs.  WFC2

SUNDAY, JUNE 4, 2017, 2:00 PM

PROVIDENCE PARK, PORTLAND, OR

LIVESTREAM: WHITECAPSFC2.COM

Whitecaps FC 2 striker Gloire Amanda named to the USL Team of the Week – Whitecaps FC
On Tuesday the 18-year-old was recognized for his play by being named to the USL Team of the Week.

Fury FC Faces Historic Clash in Toronto – USL
Ottawa Fury FC will try to take a step into history on Wednesday night when it faces Major League Soccer’s Toronto FC in the second leg of the Canadian Championship Semifinal series at BMO Field. Carrying a 2-1 lead after a dramatic win at TD Place in the first leg last week, the fourth-year club aims to add another chapter to its history book by punching its ticket to the Canadian Championship Final for the first time.

FCE will split into two groups for long trip to Puerto Rico – the11.ca
FC Edmonton is sending two caravans to Puerto Rico. The 5,600-kilometre trip is so daunting, so logistically difficult for a travelling contingent of 22 people, that the only way it can be done is to break the group into two.

The NC Derby: Our SNST preview of North Carolina FC vs. Charlotte Independence – Soccer n’ Sweet Tea
It divides our state, it divides our staff at Soccer ‘n’ Sweet Tea: tonight’s North Carolina Derby, the third in three years, should make for a fun night in Cary.

Reno forward Antoine Hoppenot named USL Player of the Week – News 4
Reno 1868 FC is riding high right now, winning four matches and earning a draw out of their last five. One key to their recent success has been from a lineup change, when Head Coach Ian Russell moved Antoine Hoppenot from the midfield to a forward spot alongside Dane Kelly.

Francesco Totti Mulling Offer from NASL’s Miami FC – Fifty Five One
What once seemed like tabloid fodder is suddenly becoming very real. With Francesco Totti’s time at Roma now complete, the Italian legend is ready for a new challenge. That challenge may just come in the U.S. second division. Totti is deciding between two paths: Roma’s front office or Miami FC’s lineup.

France name their squad for UEFA Women’s Euro 2017 – Vavel
With the European Championships just weeks away, Olivier Echouafni has named his full squad to represent France at the tournament.

UEFA Women’s Champions League – Road to Cardiff: Olympique Lyonnais – Vavel
A quick look at how Women’s Champions League holders Lyon secured their place in the showpiece final.

UEFA Women’s Champions League – Road to Cardiff: Paris Saint Germain – Vavel
A look back at how PSG booked their spot in the Champions League final.

Boquete on ’emotional’ 2015 final win and repaying Paris – UEFA
“I still remember it as if it were last week,” says Verónica Boquete of helping FFC Frankfurt win the 2015 final against Paris Saint-Germain, who she now hopes to aid to victory in Cardiff.

NWSL: Fans bases grow and players given a voice as league gets stronger – The Offside Rule
Megan Cleary discusses the growing attendance rate in the National Women’s Soccer League and how the NWSL Players’ Association and supporters groups are contributing to an stronger league.

Toppserien Week 7 Review: Trondheim grab second win of the year – Vavel
Avaldsnes dropped two big points at home to Arna to give LSK a window of oppertunity to sneak in and rise to the Toppserien summit when they play their game in hand (after a win away to Sandviken). Elsewhere Trondheim picked up a useful win against Bodø as Røa and Klepp both took maximum points off of Medkila and Kolbotn respectively.

Iran reaps the success of grassroots as focus now turns to developing women’s game – Inside World Football
The strength of football in Iran was out evident again at the weekend when the Iranian football federation (FFIRI) held its second Islamic Republic of Iran National Grassroots Conference in conjunction with the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) Grassroots Football Day with more than 600 grassroots coaches and managers from across the country present.

Arsenal hands Wenger new contract after review of struggles – Sportsnet
Arsene Wenger will stay on as Arsenal manager, earning a new two-year contract on Wednesday despite missing out on Champions League qualification.

Arsenal fans must consign factions to past after Wenger’s new deal – The Guardian
On balance the manager’s extended stay is welcome but changes will still be required behind the scenes – and in the Emirates Stadium stands.

Can Juventus become ninth team to complete treble? – UEFA
Juventus have already captured the Scudetto and Coppa Italia, meaning just Real Madrid stand between them and history as the ninth team to win the treble.

Zinedine Zidane looking like a veteran at Madrid’s helm – Sportsnet
Only 17 months into his first head-coaching job, Zinedine Zidane is one game away from winning his second Champions League title with Real Madrid.

U20WC: Lookman sends Young Lions into quarters – FIFA
A brace scored by Ademola Lookman in a 2-1 victory over Costa Rica sent England to the FIFA U-20 World Cup Korea Republic 2017 quarter-finals.

Roma’s Antonio Rüdiger: ‘There is too much racism in Serie A. We must act’  – The Guardian
The Roma defender Antonio Rüdiger has pleaded with Fifa to act after another season featuring several high-profile incidents of racism in Serie A.

FIFA signs Vivo as another Chinese sponsor for World Cup – Metro
Vivo becomes the third major World Cup sponsor signed from China since FIFA President Gianni Infantino took office 15 months ago.

Russians parade in blackface ahead of Cameroon-Germany match – The Guardian
Other marchers at Carnaval Sochi Fest parade were seen carrying bananas as city prepares to host Confederations Cup, once more raising racism concerns.

Fox, Telemundo Set for $500 Million Windfall on 2026 World Cup – Bloomberg
By picking the Qatar for 2022, FIFA set in motion a series of tortured decisions, solving one problem only to create another — and leading to an unintended windfall for broadcasters Fox and Telemundo that could be worth as much as $500 million.

Infamous Ronaldo sculptor tries to make amends with new ‘likeness’ of Gareth Bale – The Telegraph
The creator of a hideous Cristiano Ronaldo statue that upset and delighted fans the world over has now had a crack at sculpting another Real Madrid star – Gareth Bale.